


The New Golden Age of Creatures

by lululou



Category: A Discovery of Witches (TV), All Souls Trilogy - Deborah Harkness
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Chinese History - Freeform, European history, F/M, Future Fic, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Sexual Content, Mild Smut, Music, Post-Canon, Romance, Science, cellist!Jack, post-Time's Convert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:07:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25078879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululou/pseuds/lululou
Summary: This is the new Golden Age of Creatures. Jack is living a happy second life studying music at Oxford, while Fei is a brightborn new to England and wishing to research creature genetics under the esteemed Shephard/Clairmont lab. With the dangerous new attacks on creatures, now exposed to the world, how will love and duty pull them together?
Relationships: Diana Bishop/Matthew Clairmont, jack blackfriars/OC
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> _Beware of the witch with the blood of the lion and the wolf, for with it she will destroy the children of the night._

_The blood of Empress Fang and Scholar Qu Yuan sings in my veins with every rare heartbeat. 87 years are captured in my eternally 22-year-old body. My second life, my first wandering into the world, has begun. My name is Fei. I am a brightborn living in the new Golden Age of Creatures._

I adored the college green by St. Hugh’s College. After my last biochemistry class each Friday, I made a point to stop and sit there for a while. It started as a way to relax, give myself breathing room before diving into my studies for the weekend, but it quickly became the highlight of my week.  
  
From the music rooms, all day long, a wonderful cellist practiced classical pieces. The notes drifted down from the window and washed the campus in raw emotions. I felt my skin glow with energy as I heard Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B minor, and had to stop myself from bringing up the groundwater from the sorrow of Elgar’s concerto in E minor. On lucky days, there’d be a piano accompanist too. I wasn’t the only creature attracted to the sound; dance major daemons came for impromptu collaboration, humans bobbed their heads and hummed along, vampires sat entirely still to soak it in.  
  
I wished I knew who the mystery musician was, or when their concerts were held, but I was too shy to weave a spell to find out. What if it was a witch who noticed my spying? What if it was a vampire who got offended by my intrusion?  
  
So I contented myself with listening, eyes closed to the last of the November sun, hoping they wouldn’t graduate before me.  
  
Today was no different, except for a meeting I had that would cut short my time. I had come to Oxford to study biochemistry; the most reputable lab on creature genetics was located here, and I was determined to join it. I had spent so much time learning about humans, only to know so little about myself. Even the papers that had been published by Dr. Clairmont and Dr. Roberts, which were published from this lab, focused largely on vampires, witches and daemons. Not brightborns. I wanted to change that. The western world had already decided to expose us all to the world with no word of warning. Now I demanded it also tell me more about myself.  
  
I forced myself to get up halfway through Bach’s lovely Cello Suite no. 1. It’s familiar chords calmed my nerves a bit; I whispered a thank you before I made my way to the lab.  
  
\-----  
Dr. Miriam Shephard was not kind. She was fierce, the determination and exceptionalism packed into her slight body leaving very little room for patience. I felt a whirlwind of panic from the moment I entered through the open door.  
  
“I heard your footsteps minutes ago, what took you so long to get down the hallway? Close the door please!” Dr. Shephard greeted me.  
  
“It’s an honor to meet you, Dr. Shephard. I really admired your work in genetics with the Clairmont and Roberts labs.”  
  
“Yes, yes, I read your email. Take a seat.” She shoved a chair in my direction, and I quickly sat down. Before I could introduce myself properly, Dr. Shephard asked me curtly, “Why do you want to research in this lab?”  
  
“Well, it’s lik-like I wrote, um, since this lab is so well-known for its work in, in, creature DNA and genetics, I thought, uh, that it might be a good place for me to learn mo-more about my family and myself,” I stuttered. She had already scolded me about repeating my email, but that question basically forced me to repeat the entire contents of my email. What else was I supposed to offer?  
  
“Yes, I know, _I read your email_ ,” she repeated pointedly. I felt myself cringe. “You don’t have any other motivation to be here?”  
  
I frowned, trying to understand what she meant. “Um, I’m not sure I know what you mean… obviously I have a passion for biology and genetics… I’m majoring in biochemistry?”  
  
“Was that a question or a statement?”  
  
“A...a statement. I’m majoring in biochemistry.”  
  
Dr. Shephard sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Look, Fei. Your email was very interesting and your resume was impressive. That’s why I asked you here today. But research is more than a self-interested biography project, and you’re still young. If you plan on dedicating your life to it–and that is more or less an expectation in this lab, which you know is made of mostly vampires–you’ll have to think a little harder about why you want to join.”  
  
I felt my face fall at the blatant rejection. Worse, I didn’t know what to do with this revelation. On the surface level, I comprehended what she was saying, but I didn’t know what to do with that information. I genuinely thought that my interest was enough to justify entering research. Was it not? Was it generic? Was it not strong enough to fight off the potential of ennui in my later years?  
  
The horror I felt must’ve been drawn all over my face, because Dr. Shephard continued, more gently, “This is not a lab that regularly accepts undergrads, Fei. You should be proud of yourself for making it this far. You’re the first undergrad I’ve met in years. But you still have a ways to go.”  
  
With that, she gestured to the door. I numbly got up and started out, walking back to my dorm in a stupor. What did this mean? What should I do? How could I improve? All my years had been spent sheltered away in my family home, concentrating on matters like control of my strength and honing my magic. This was my first immerse experience in the “real” world, the human world, of college and merits beyond birthright. I didn’t want to wait until I was a grad student. I didn’t even know if I’d still be at Oxford for that. I had a chance here, now, and yet, I had no idea how to seize it.  
  
These thoughts churned in my head and my stomach, making me dizzy with no answer to land on. I almost wanted to pull an unclouding spell over myself, but when I turned the corner, I saw a scene that cleared the trivial worries from my head entirely.  
  
\-----  
A tall, lean man was kneeling, leaned over a corpse, shaking it violently. He was dressed casually in black jeans and a striped t-shirt, free of blood. He was very attractive, but that wasn’t the fact to focus on at the moment. I knew immediately that he was a vampire, and more cautiously assumed he wasn’t the wrongdoer based on his clothes. As I approached, he heard my steps and straightened. He turned to throw me a sideways glare. His hair looked like it had once been neatly combed but since fell into disarray. He looked about my age.  
  
In his shifted position, the body was now fully in my line of view. It was another vampire, also around our age, maybe a little younger. I had never seen a vampire so… limp. Even when sleeping, I thought they always looked a bit rigid, unable to fully relax. Something protruded from his shoulder.  
  
Before I could take another step, the first man snarled a warning. His eyes were completely black. It was frightening, and I froze in place. I had never seen that kind of look in a vampire before, never felt raw energy like what radiated off him, either. I opened and closed my mouth a couple times before I managed to whisper, “My name is Fei. Can I help you?”  
  
My hands started to pull at threads around me, preemptively weaving a protective spell in case something went wrong. His eyes snapped to my movements and suddenly his expression changed from vicious to curious. His pupils contracted to reveal golden brown irises.  
  
“You’re a brightborn,” he deadpanned.  
  
I self-consciously let go of the strings, not wanting to startle away this more approachable version of this man. “Uh, yes. Let me help you?” I repeated.  
  
He looked back down at the man in his lap and started to tremble. “I don’t know what happened to him. I need to get him somewhere, but I don’t know h–”  
  
“I can weave invisibility and silencing spells over us as you move him,” I interrupted, far more comfortable with this role I could play. The existence of creatures may be common knowledge now, but this was still a suspicious scene that would only fire up human media’s smear campaign of creatures as “violent” and “dangerous”. A little bit of magic was easy to provide.  
  
The man just nodded tensely, picking up his friend with ease. I did my work and tried to keep up with him as he dashed across campus. I wasn’t as fast as a vampire, and I didn’t want the spell to get contorted, so I didn’t notice where we were headed. I wasn’t until he was already knocking on a door when I realized we were back at the lab where I had just been humiliated.  
  
Dr. Shephard came to the door, exclaiming, “Jack, wha–”  
  
“Miriam, something happened to Leonard and I don’t know what, one second he was fine and then he got darted out of nowhere and now I don’t even know if he’s alive, please Miriam, I have no idea where else to bring him,” this man–Jack, I supposed–blurted out in a hurry. His mannerisms shifted very quickly from my original impression to boyish. It only enhanced how panicked he seemed.  
  
While the words spilled out, Dr. Shephard cleared a bench area to settle the body–Leonard?–down. She looked it over intensely, prodding and sniffing, before reaching for a notepad. Jack hovered around and handed her a pen from a nearby desk. She started writing. Without looking up, she asked, “What are you doing back here, Miss Fei?”  
  
I didn’t know how to reply. I hadn’t known this was the end destination, so I hadn’t prepared a second impression to impress Dr. Shephard. Honestly, if I had known, I might’ve refused to help Jack out of embarrassment.  
  
But before any of the above concerns could matter, Jack jumped to my defense, “She ran into us on the street right after it happened, she helped me get Leonard here.”  
  
Dr. Shephard nodded curtly. “I’m going to need more time to examine Leonard and figure out what happened, but he isn’t dead, so you can stop worrying, Jack. I’ll tell your father and we’ll take care of this. You should go back until then.”  
  
Jack looked hesitant to leave his friend, but after a sharp look from Dr. Shephard, he gave in.  
  
“Ok,” he sighed. Both of us still jittery, Dr. Shephard ushered us through the door and closed it behind us with a precise snap.  
\-----  
I don’t know how long we sat there outside the lab. Dr. Shephard never left, and no one went in, so the door stayed shut between us and whoever Leonard was. It was already sunset when I ran into Jack, and I’m sure it was dark outside by now. I had homework to do.  
  
But Jack had sunk to the floor and started crying bloody tears the moment the door had closed, and I didn’t want to leave him here alone. I just sat next to him in silence, put a shielding charm around us, and waited until he might feel better.  
  
Plus, it was a good chance for me to process the flurry of action that hadn’t stopped since midday until now in my own right. Dart in the shoulder of a vampire, dreams of research crushed, biochemistry lecture to go over.  
  
Eventually, Jack wiped the last of the red streaks from his face and looked up at me. We both instinctively unraveled our bodies from the scrunched sitting positions, and he stood up while I stretched out. He offered me a hand up, cold and elegant with long fingers and short nails, which I accepted.  
  
“Thank you,” he murmured, a child-like shyness returning to his features. He really was very handsome. “I didn’t know what to do, but you helped a lot. Sorry if that was stressful. Can I make this up to you?”  
  
I didn’t think he had much to apologize for, but the prospect of talking over what had just happened, possibly getting more of an explanation, and getting to know him better, was enticing.  
  
“How about you buy me a tea?”


	2. Much Ado About Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fei has two important conversations with Jack and her family; one leaves her more confused, and one more distressed, as she learns context surrounding the situation she's found herself in.

The 24-hour coffee shop was quiet. It was around half past 7 when we left the lab building, and the walk over had been short and uneventful. It was too late for many students to be studying here, but too early for any students to be resting after a night out, either.  
  
Crammed away in the back corner, I cradled a steaming cup of chamomile tea as Jack shuffled uncomfortably in the chair across the table. I didn’t know quite where to start the conversation.  
  
“So… you really don’t like tea?”  
  
His head lifted to look at me. He slowly adjusted himself one more time to sit properly facing me. He shrugged, before replying, “No, I don’t think a lot of vampires do. My mom and brother love tea, but the rest of my family prefers wine.”  
  
“Is your mom not a vampire?”  
  
“Uh, no. She’s my adoptive mother, technically. She’s a witch. My little brother and sister are brightborns like you. That’s how I knew you were weaving a spell when you first came near me. They do the same thing; they call it pulling at threads.”  
  
I nodded and smiled, looking down into my mug of tea. “Yea... yea, that’s exactly what it is. So you were sired by your father? Sorry, that was a dumb question.” I shook my head and felt my face turn hot.  
  
Jack chuckled. “No, actually, that’s a good question. My family is complicated, so my adoptive father is technically my great-grandsire.”  
  
His demeanor remained relaxed and open, but his dead-end reply, not revealing who his actual sire was or why his family was oddly structured made it clear this topic was closed for tonight. Instead, he shifted gears, “So, what year are you at Oxford?”  
  
“Second-year. Studying biochemistry, and you?”  
  
“Music performance, second year grad student. MSt program.”  
  
“That’s great! What college?”  
  
“St. Hugh’s. And you?”  
  
I felt excitement bubbling up inside me, but forced myself to hide it and remain composed. I had _just_ met Jack under the strangest circumstances a few hours ago; I didn’t need to unload my weird obsession with a mystery musician from his college (that he probably knew from classes) as well.  
  
“Pembroke. I love the college green by St. Hugh’s. There’s a… great cellist who practices there on Fridays, you know them?” I tried to mention it casually. I had no idea if I succeeded, but Jack’s eyes lit up with unreadable emotion. Excitement? Happiness? Mischief?  
  
But all he gave me with an amused smile and a simple, “Maybe. There’s a few great cellists in my program. Your description isn’t very specific.”  
  
I decided to drop it before I irrevocably embarrassed myself. “So… why music?”  
  
Jack got a faraway look in his eyes, and I was partly thankful that I didn’t have to smoulder under his gaze anymore. “It’s the best way I’ve found to express myself. That kind of transformed into a tool for me to... get other people to understand me, I suppose. But then I realized it could be much more than that… so it expanded into a way to bring perspectives together, not just my own. Because music, the emotions they evoke, it’s universal, you know?”  
  
I nodded. It was a beautiful answer that overlaid pretty perfectly with what I experienced listening to music. I admired his explanation for how he grew beyond his original, “selfish” interest, and tucked it away to think about later in terms of my own outlook towards research.  
  
“I guess I don’t have to ask about biochemistry for you. I’m guessing you’re more of a vampy brightborn?” Jack’s lighthearted and teasing tone took any edge out of the comment. It actually made me feel better to just laugh in agreement instead of diving into all my current insecurities around academics.  
  
“Yep, absolutely. Much to the devastation of my parents, both witchy-leaning brightborns themselves.”  
  
Jack laughed. “Weird how that works out. My little sister is a professor of biology now in the States, acts like a total vampire, but her twin brother is an anthropologist, was weaving spells before he could talk.”  
  
“Yea, my parents said I refused to nurse on anything but blood.” The conversation paused for a moment as I thought about my family, how much I missed them, and it looked like Jack was doing the same.  
  
I took a sip of tea before I decided to breach the topic, “So that other person… Leonard… your brother?”  
  
Jack’s face went blank. “In a sense, yes. He’s certainly like a real brother to me. Again, complicated family history.”  
  
“Yes, right. Sorry.” Tonight clearly was not the night to get answers from Jack about the scene, Leonard, Dr. Shephard, or anything else. Instead, I pivoted, “So, do you row?”  
  
So the tension dissipated and we spent the rest of the night flowing naturally between topics. Jack was very energetic and cheery, almost childish in his curiosity. He asked so many questions about anything I was happy to talk about. We talked about the sanctions put on school athletics barring creatures from competing and how unfair they were to daemons and witches. I complained about how difficult it felt to fit in with either witches or vampires as someone in-between, and Jack sympathized. We talked about classical music and I asked for Jack’s favorite pieces. He listed a couple of contemporary works I promised to listen to in exchange for him searching up Taylor Swift. He asked me about China, and talked about how much he adored London and the Auvergne.  
  
We were discussing the possibility of the Loch Ness Monster being a witch’s familiar when we reached my dorm building. I didn’t want to leave, for my time with Jack to end. I liked to think that we both offered each other valuable distraction and companionship after a stressful day.  
  
I held out my phone to him. “I’d appreciate it if you would give me your number, to keep me updated on the situation.”  
  
Jack tilted his head as if confused, before pressing his number into my contacts. “Thank you again for your help,” he murmured as he handed it back.  
  
“Of course. I’m sorry for your friend; I hope he’ll be alright.”  
  
“Thank you. I’m sure Miriam will take care of him. Goodnight, Fei.”  
  
“Goodnight.”  
  
He leaned down and gently pressed his cheek to mine, once and then again, in the French fashion.  
  
I looked into his lovely golden eyes for a moment more, not sure how red my face was or how loud my heartbeat to our sensitive ears, before forcing myself to turn around and start into the building.  
  
When I turned around, he was still standing in the same spot, looking at me with a boyish grin.  
\-----  
I ran at full speed up to my suite and into my room. My suitemates watched me dash in surprise, and must have smelled something different in my scent, but thankfully left me alone. My head was rushing with thoughts I had to organize.  
  
Why were Jack’s eyes golden brown (and _so beautiful_ ) at the cafe but black when I first saw him? What was in the dart, strong enough to take out a vampire? How did Jack know Dr. Shephard (he called her _Miriam?_ )? Who was his family? Why was my heart beating so fast?  
  
Overwhelmed, I buried my face into my pillows until I realized I could make a call to get some answers.  
  
“Dad!” I practically screamed into my phone with relief when he answered.  
  
“Hello, darling. Why are you screaming?”  
  
“Sorry. Dad, something strange happened tonight and I have a lot of questions for you, do you have time?” I readjusted my tone before I shot off in Chinese, hoping the answer was yes.  
  
“Yes, I do. What happened?”  
  
“Well, I ran into a couple vampires on my way home and one was entirely unconscious from a dart-like object. I know you don’t study biology, but is there anything that can do that to a vampire? Also, the other vampire has eyes that… change between black and brown. It looked a bit… unsettling. And, are there a lot of vampire families with brightborns here? I thought there weren’t.”  
  
A long pause on the other side of the line. Some shuffling noises, and then finally, “Fei, I think you should talk to Qu Yuan about this.” As the phone was handed over, a warm voice greeted me, “Hello there, beloved.”  
  
I smiled. “Hi, great-great-grandfather. How are you doing?”  
  
“Well, thank you dear. So… your father tells me you had quite an eventful night.”  
  
“Yes. I had a few questions for you, if that’s alright.  
  
“Of course it is.”  
  
My great-great-grandfather was ancient. When I was younger, I would sit on his lap and he would tell me stories starting in the Zhou dynasty in 300BC. I had never met someone with more patience and knowledge. He had started the brightborn heritage of the family when he mated with a weaver, and he kept the family safe and together ever since. I loved him so much. And I was a little worried that I had to talk to him now; I didn’t think my questions were _that_ serious.  
  
“Why might a vampire have eyes that change color, from a normal one like brown to jet black?”  
  
Pause. “Was the vampire violent while his eyes were black?”  
  
I thought back. Jack had certainly looked threatening, hence why I had started weaving a protective spell in the moment. “No, but he looked like he might be.”  
  
“And was the vampire violent while his eyes were brown?”  
  
This answer was easy. “No. He almost seemed like a different person. Very kind and lighthearted.”  
  
“My dear, he has a condition called blood rage.”  
  
Blood rage. It sounded familiar, but I didn’t know what it exactly meant. “What… what is blood rage?”  
  
Qu Yuan chuckled. “My dear, more than half the vampires in our family have it, myself included. It is a condition that makes us susceptible to our emotions, more inclined to act violently as a result of them.”  
  
A few things clicked into place while some others fell wildly out. I had heard the term blood rage of the Clairmont et al. paper on creatures. They were vampires with daemonic DNA that had the symptoms my great-great-grandfather described. But this description sounded absolutely nothing like my grandfather at all, or any of the members in our family.  
  
“I… don’t understand. That isn’t you at all. And I certainly have never seen your eyes do anything like what I saw tonight.”  
  
“I have spent many moons controlling my blood rage. The man you met tonight likely had less training. Did you parents never tell you, blood rage is a needed trait in vampires to mate with weavers and have brightborn children?”  
  
They had not. The paper also did not mention anything about that.  
  
“So… that’s why auntie YanYi and Uncle Ming can’t have children?”  
  
“Yes, good, dear. Your parents really should have told you. It isn’t much of a threat in our family, we have it well-controlled… although I must say, it’s a surprise you met a younger man with visible symptoms. Before this new Golden Age, they were a subjected to quite a bit of genocide.”  
  
I was shocked to hear that as well. I had thought during my time at home, I was taught everything possible. My classes were all a breeze, I had no trouble keeping up with my peers in the social sphere, and I had extensive knowledge of my powers and the history of creatures. In the past 24-hours, the quality of my home-education had really come under inspection.  
  
“I had no idea, great-great-grandfather. Was the way to avoid death to hide symptoms, like you do?”  
  
“Correct again. It is as Sun-zi said. To win requires extreme subtlety and mystery. That is difficult with blood rage bringing emotions to the surface. We survived by another pillar of advice: subdue the enemy without fighting. Hiding the symptoms.”  
  
“I thought we weren’t a fighting family.”  
  
“Exactly. We are not.”  
  
“Are there… are there a lot of brightborn families here in Europe? I remember you told me there weren’t.”  
  
“There are only four families of brightborns. Do you know what family he was from?”  
  
“No, I didn’t want to pry.”  
  
“It’s proper to be polite in such matters. Remember, don’t bother with the de Clermonts or the Gowdies.”  
  
My family didn’t care for political drama, and when I announced my intention to go to Oxford, it came with many warnings not to bother with the Congregation. I giggled and said, “ _I knoooow._ But I really don’t know who he is. What if he’s from one of those families?”  
  
“Well, that would be a very interesting addition to _our_ family. I know you admire their lab work, but if he is a de Clermont, that would connect us with Miyako in the east.”  
  
I blushed at the first half, and shuddered at the second. Miyako was rumored to be the harshest creature in Japan. It wasn’t like I was thinking about mating with Jack after knowing him for a few hours. Before I could deny anything, Qu Yuan noted, “Your heartbeat is very loud, Fei, even over the phone. Do you have any more questions, or should I leave you to think?”  
  
He was definitely referring to something different from my last, unrelated question.  
  
“Do you know about anything that can cause a vampire to… lose consciousness?”  
  
The long pause on the other end made me uncomfortable, as I sat still as a rock. I didn’t even breathe until my great-great-grandfather finally responded, “Was there an attack?”  
  
“I think so.”  
  
“There have been a couple attacks here as well. My underground network has told me. We still do not know what it is or why it’s happening. If we learn anything, I will let you know. Be careful; keep your magic around you.”  
  
His warning chilled me. Qu Yuan always trusted us to protect ourselves and rarely nagged us about training or otherwise. There was something sinister brewing that I had stumbled into, even if my family was already tracking the situation.  
  
I said my thank yous and we said our goodbyes and I miss you’s before I was left alone in the dark again. I texted Jack a quick message: _Thank you for the tea. I wanted to let you know, my family has heard of similar incidents to the one from tonight. Let me know if I can help._  
  
The clock read 4AM. I received no reply. Sleepless as always and more restless than usual, I pushed Jack’s tall form from my mind as I started on my homework.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you have time, please leave feedback; characterizing Jack was harder than I thought I'd be, and I definitely want to do him justice throughout this fic.  
> One of my favorite parts of the All Souls Trilogy is the history that Dr. Harkness weaves in. I know her research area is largely European/England-focused, and I'm certainly not a historian, but I wanted to put in a bit of Eastern history background as best I can. Expect a bit more history + lots more science in future chapters!


	3. A Storm and a Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Curtains are pulled back on the threat, and on Jack's past.

More than a week passed before I heard from Jack again. Time had never moved so slowly before. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but I couldn’t shake the image of Jack’s beaming face, the last I saw of him. I silently thanked my family for my stellar home education affording me the time to be distracted from classes.  
  
While I thought my turmoil had stayed internal, my suitemates made it clear my behavior had been outwardly strange as well. After a weekend cooped away, they confronted me about it; I didn’t even know where to start, so I acted like all of this was stemming just from being rejected from the Shephard lab. Adrianna, our resident witch, gave me a look that told me she knew I wasn’t telling the complete truth, but she let it go. They showered me with sweets and words of encouragement. Anything productive I managed was because of their support. Amy, a daemon majoring in economics, even promised to leave the library Friday to work on the college green instead, listening to my favorite cellist with me.  
  
Saint-Saëns’s Danse Macabre reflected the dark confusion I felt. It was almost therapeutic to feel the music spark my fingertips with released stress and magic. Somehow, this musician always seemed to understand me. I wondered, if I met them, would I feel a pull even more powerful than the one I felt with Jack? I quickly shook my head, not knowing what possessed me to think of or compare anyone to Jack.  
  
(Besides, I had only met him once, for a few hours, in a weird way. This cellist was my constant. That wasn’t grounds for comparison, and I wasn’t interested in either. The person I really should’ve been thinking about was Leonard, the poor victim!)  
  
Amy definitely side-eyed me as my conflicting thoughts showed openly on my face. I hoped she assumed it was because I was absorbed in the music.  
  
The weekend passed uneventfully. Distraction slowly gave way to productivity and by Sunday evening, life felt almost normal again. Of course, that was when my phone screen finally lit up with a text from Jack.  
  
_Are you free tomorrow at 1pm? Miriam’s having a meeting and I’d like for you to be there._  
  
All the emotions I had been suppressing–fear, confusion, concern, upset–flooded out of me. This problem wasn’t going away, but at least I’d be properly included. Comforted by that notion, I disregarded any “rules” on texting response time and shakily typed out: _Yes. Thank you for letting me know._  
  
I paused, then tacked on: _Hope you are well._ And hit send.  
\-----  
I headed out Monday afternoon with Adrianna, but froze once I opened the main door to our dorm. Adrianna ran right into me. She gave me a bizarre look, but I was focused on something else.  
  
Jack was standing at the gate, chatting amicably with the security guard. He quickly noticed us, waving and beaming so brightly I thought it might blind me. Adrianna shot a lot of suspicious looks at both of us as we walked toward him. As I went to greet him, she continued walking, muttering a goodbye and shooting a final incredulous look at me from behind Jack. I chose to ignore it.  
  
“Hey, I didn’t expect to see you here,” I said, looking up at him with a polite smile. Or what I hoped was a polite smile, instead of a wildly surprised, enamoured one that reflected how I actually felt.  
  
“I thought we could walk over together. I like your sweater, looks really soft. Was that your friend?” Jack replied smoothly.  
  
“Yea, my suitemate Adrianna. It is soft, here, feel it.” I held out my arm and Jack gently felt the material as we made our way to the lab.  
  
It was scary how naturally we fell back into easy conversation. I felt like we could go on and on about nothing, giggling and bantering forever. It was rare that anyone made me feel so comfortable so fast, even though the situation was rather serious. I was so used to being a serious person. But I felt incredibly lighthearted with Jack up until we arrived at the lab.  
  
Jack opened the door and motioned for me to enter first. We walked in on a tense discussion already underway between four people. All four heads snapped up to look at us.  
  
Two people I recognized. Dr. Shephard, obviously, and a young blonde man. He had visited my family years ago for business–Marcus de Clermont of the Knights of Lazarus. Two other men, a middle aged vampire with greying hair and an old black human man, I had never seen before.  
  
Before any introductions could be made, Dr. Shephard asked, “What is Fei doing here?”  
  
I steeled myself. I had prepared a response to Dr. Shephard’s question, not wanting to be caught off-guard again, and I would deliver it to an unexpected crowd if need be. But before I could start, Jack cut in, “Because I wanted her here. She’s the reason Leonard is alive and she deserves to be in the loop. Quit making her feel uncomfortable, Miriam.”  
  
Glances were exchanged between the four people in front of us, and I fixed Jack with my own surprised look as he walked past me to hug the middle aged man.  
  
“Good to see you, Dad. Fei, this is my dad Matthew de Clermont, Chris Roberts, my brother Marcus, and you already met Miriam.” He gestured to each person in turn.  
  
Here is the thing about vampires. It had been illegal to have photos taken of vampires for a long time. Although no longer forbidden by the Congregation, most vampires still feel highly uncomfortable with that kind of evidence lying around for years to come. Vampires sit for portraits kept in our private homes. They are not seen in cheap snapshots for the tabloids. I had no idea what Matthew de Clermont, the scientist I most admired, looked like at all. And now here he was, in front of me, along with Dr. Roberts.  
  
“It’s… it’s such an honor to meet you all. I really admire the work you do… I mean, your joint papers on creature genetics are the reason I’m at Oxford.” I tried to stay calm, but I knew my stare was too intense and my skin began to glimmer with excitement.  
  
Dr. de Clermont nodded and gave me a kind smile. “That’s very nice of you to say.”  
  
“Shaping minds and inspiring, I’ve still got it,” Dr. Roberts chuckled. “Now back to Leonard.”  
  
Dr. Shephard rolled her eyes, then said, “Right, back on track. Here’s what we know–Leonard was hit with a sedative that made him lose consciousness. It’s some kind of vampire tranquiliser, a drug designed with an extremely long half-life so our bodies can’t break it down the way we usually do with poisons.”  
  
I raised my hand, and Dr. Roberts roared with laughter when he noticed. “You don’t have to raise your hand, just say what you need to say. This isn’t a lecture hall. Ah, undergrads…”  
  
I laughed nervously. “Right. Uh, is there a reason it causes vampires to be more... limp than they normally would be when asleep?”  
  
Dr. Shephard raised an eyebrow, looking slightly impressed. “Good question. It appears to override all non-essential functions of the sympathetic nervous system that would otherwise still be maintained in sleep. Essentially, all Leonard’s body was doing with breathing and beating the heart. Limited maintenance of homeostasis, no digestion, no cerebral brain activity, etc.”  
  
I was shocked. That was very serious. “Is Leonard ok now?”  
  
Jack was at my side in a second, looking rightfully guilty. “Oh, yea. He’s fine. Sorry I forgot to tell you,” he whispered. It must have been old news to everyone else, because they continued on without any more comment.  
  
Dr. de Clermont frowned. “Have you ever seen anything like this before?”  
  
Dr. Shephard shook her head, and Marcus added, “The Knights aren’t aware of anything like this ever existing.”  
  
Jack looked at me, and asked, “Fei, didn’t you say your family knew something about this?”  
  
I started. All these powerful figures looking at me made me feel a little jumpy. “Um, yes. My family said they were tracking a similar situation in Asia. There’s been a few attacks there, but I don’t know much about it. I’m not personally involved.”  
  
They nodded, while Marcus’s expression shifted to thoughtful. “What family are you a part of?”  
  
“The Qu family in Hubei, sire.”  
  
Marcus cursed under his breath. “I’ve talked to them. That probably means this is connected to the human opposition organization based in Russia. I mean, this drug is well developed, it’s probably been years in the making. How did we not know about it, when we’ve been keeping tabs on them?”  
  
Dr. de Clermont frowned. “Marcus, you’ve known about this and haven’t taken action?”  
  
Marcus scoffed. “Matthew,”–he imitated Dr. de Clermont’s serious tone–“the organization hates creatures because they’re afraid we’re going to kill all humans and take over the world. An unprovoked attack would only fuel their fire.”  
  
“But you didn’t follow them well enough to notice what was happening in Asia?”  
  
Marcus had no response to that. Dr. de Clermont turned back to me. “Fei, would you happen to know long how this has been going on in China?”  
  
I shrugged and shook my head. “I’m sorry, Dr. de Clermont, I only learned about this situation a week ago with Jack. All the information is with my great-great grandfather, I’d assume.”  
  
“Would it be possible for us to meet with him? It would be valuable to visit, share information, make preparations… join forces for this cause.”  
  
I froze, unsure of how to answer. I knew that my family hadn’t already “joined forces” with anyone because we wanted to stay out of politics. But these threats were being made, spanning beyond our reach. It seemed important. This wasn’t political, it was a matter of safety and lives. Still, I didn’t know how Qu Yuan would respond. He specifically sent me off to college with a warning not to bother with the de Clermonts.  
  
“I can ask my family, Dr. de Clermont, but I don’t know if they will agree to meet.” I kept my voice even and my face blank.  
  
Matthew nodded and smiled understandingly. “That would be a great help, Fei. And please, call me Matthew.”  
\-----  
The meeting continued into details on the chemical structure of the drug and Leonard’s current health. It was filled with corrections everytime I tried to address them as Dr. Roberts or Dr. Shephard or Dr. de Clermont. It was very difficult for me to say Chris, Miriam and Matthew, like these exceptional people were my casual friends. It was only slightly easier to transition with Marcus, only because he acted extremely casual himself.  
  
After a couple hours, plans were put in place for monitoring and developing a counter-treatment, pertaining to either situation of being invited to China or not. Once the conversation strayed to how Matthew was enjoying retirement, the meeting was declared over. We all headed out into the afternoon except Chris, who stayed behind in the lab with Miriam.  
  
Marcus and Matthew said their goodbyes as they headed back to London, leaving Jack, who offered to accompany me back to my dorm. We walked in silence as the weight of the situation hung in the air. What looked like one attack in Oxford was actually a war brewing between humans and creatures. But something else was more immediately on my mind.  
  
An obvious fact that I had willfully ignored now took center stage. Jack was, as my family had assumed, a de Clermont.  
  
Jack murmured goodbye and made to leave, but I caught his sleeve. He looked up at me, with gentle honey eyes, surprised and confused.  
  
“Jack.” I swallowed, trying to control my heart rate. “Would you like to stay for a glass of wine? I’d like if you stayed with me while I called my family. I daresay you owe me few explanations as well.”  
  
His mouth slowly curved into a soft smile, and he answered, “Of course.”  
\-----  
I don’t know how all my suitemates suddenly had things to do in the middle of a Monday. I did know that they were absolute drama queens who were definitely going to sink their claws into me the second Jack left.  
  
Only simple “hi”s and “nice to meet you”s had been said before everyone rushed out the door. Amy hadn’t even brought her laptop on the way to the library, and I knew all her econ spreadsheets were kept on there.  
  
So it was just me and Jack. The silence was odd.  
  
“Do you have a preference?” I asked, opening my mini-wine cooler. “Or, I have blood, if you’d like.”  
  
“That’s alright, I’ll just have any red wine you have.”  
  
I poured him a glass and handed it to him, before boiling water for tea. As I set the pot on the stove, I took a deep breath and breached the subject. “So, you’re a de Clermont.”  
  
Jack responded breezily, like this wasn’t a big deal. “Yep. I haven’t always been, though. I go by Blackfriars. Like I said, weird family history.”  
  
I turned around to see him already looking at me, grinning and swirling his wine glass innocuously. “If you don’t mind, Jack… I’d like to hear more about your weird family history. Especially if I’m inviting your family to meet mine. I think you’ll be hearing more than you’d like about my family soon, so I think it’s only fair I know about the infamous de Clermonts as well.”  
  
“What does that matter? It’s about the people, not the name.”  
  
“You know very well that the de Clermont name means something.”  
  
He raised an eyebrow, likely wondering about my insistence, then shrugged. “Alright, but it’s a long story.”  
  
“I’ve got nothing to do today.”  
  
And so he told me about his mother, Diana the weaver and timewalker. Of his sire, Father Hubbard (“The one who controls London? I met him when I flew into Heathrow.” “Yep, that’s him!” “I cannot believe you told me you lived in London and left out that your sire basically owns London.” “It’s not _that_ big of a deal?”). Of his grandsire, who did terrible, terrible things. How his life seemed to actually begin when he rejoined Diana and Matthew, the fight to bring together a scion branch. The only part I had heard about was the New Age War, which I had only known as it related to the Book of Life and our new existence in the human world. I had never heard about the underlying process of bringing his grandsire to justice, the internal struggle in the Congregation, the implications it had had on his personal life and family.  
  
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” I whispered, feeling awful about prying. My sheltered life did not compare in the slightest. What had I struggled through? Prophecy lessons with auntie YanYi?  
  
Jack sighed. “It’s alright. I hope you don’t think I’m a monster. But I know blood rage must be in your family if you’re a brightborn, so you might understand.”  
  
He looked so timid, broken and hurt. I threw my arms around him in a tight hug. “Of course not. You’re nothing but strong for surviving so much.”  
  
“And I’m sorry for not telling you when Leonard woke up,” he murmured into my ear. “Seeing him lying there… reminded me too much of my failed siring, my killed children. I couldn’t be alone. I had to stay with Leonard or Miriam or Father Hubbard to keep myself calm, and I didn’t want to bother you in that state.”  
  
I hummed. “It wouldn’t have been a bother, but I understand.”  
  
I don’t know how long we stayed there, holding on to each other. My head was nestled into his chest and I could hear his occasional heartbeat. Eventually he pulled away, smiling down at me and wiping away red tracks from his face. “It’s your turn. You have to call your family now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, I'd love feedback if you've got time. It was a lot of fun writing science/pseudoscience for this chapter, that's definitely more my field of expertise (if you're in STEM, let me know!)


	4. And so it begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The de Clermont and Qu families join in a common cause. Jack and Fei are joined at the hip.

“Hi dad, I–”  
“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE BRINGING DE CLERMONTS HERE!”  
“Wha–”  
“IS THIS REBELLIOUS FEI FEI?!”  
“I hav–”  
“QU YUAN’S ACTUALLY LETTING IT HAPPEN!! PROBABLY CAUSE YOU WEREN’T THERE FOR 1948!!”  
“Where is d–”  
“THE PALACE IS IN UPROAR AND IT’S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU, FEI!”  
  
Jack let out a chuckle as Fei moved the phone away from her ear. She looked like a mix of frazzled and bewildered, as she waited for her family to settle down on the other side of the line. Ysabeau had certainly spent a lot of time drilling languages into Jack, but he wasn’t the academic of the family and he struggled to keep up with the fast Chinese coming out of the speaker. Fortunately, he could fill in the blanks watching Fei’s face turn shocked, then exasperated and fond.  
  
When the commotion finally died down, Fei said, “Well. I guess I’m glad I don’t have to ask. Tell aunty YanYi to be less nosy in her prophecies. Jack is here with me right now, I’ll tell them to make plans.”  
  
The voices immediately picked back up, this time in English, to greet Jack and pepper him with a lot of questions. He didn’t know where to start, so he settled on, “Hi, Fei’s family! It’s nice to meet you too!”  
  
It was met with equally chipper and energetic yelps and woops and awwww’s.  
  
“Fei, is he han–” Fei promptly ended the call and gave him a nervous smile. “Anyways,” she sighed, “As you can see, my family can be a bit much. Consider yourself forewarned. If you could tell your family that they are welcome, that’d be great. And how many people they plan on bringing, so that we can accommodate you properly.”  
  
Jack felt his face lift into what Rebecca would call a “shit-eating grin”. He obliged, pretending he hadn’t heard any of the comments made about him, as he typed out texts to the right people.  
\-----  
As November drew to a close, planning was happening on both ends by the de Clermont and Qu covens. They decided to convene during Oxford’s winter holidays; the de Clermonts decided on a group of 8 to travel to China: Jack, Matthew, Rebecca, Philip, Gallowglass, Baldwin, Marcus and Phoebe. Miriam and Chris would stay behind to work on an antidote in the peace of absent students. Leonard, understandably, did not want to leave London and Father Hubbard’s comforting presence. From Fei’s description, her family was very excited to be hosting, busying themselves setting up guest rooms and whatnot.  
  
Jack had been seeing a lot of Fei. He didn’t know what to expect after divulging his vulnerabilities to her that evening, but she was true to her word in being non-judgemental and he woke up a sweet text the next morning asking to spend more time together. Since testing period was fast approaching, a lot of her time was spent in the library. Jack spent every moment outside of the practice room with her there.  
  
The only downside was that Fei actually studied very hard. She could sit for the entire day, rewriting notes or pouring over scientific paper results, without getting distracted. Jack had never seen anything like it. So, obviously, Jack took it upon himself to distract her. It started off as drastic as tossing paper balls at her head just to get her to look up.  
-  
“Psst! Hey, Fei!.... Feeeeeeeiiiiii…. Feifeifeifeifeif–”  
“We’re in a library, Jack.”  
“Yea, but I’m bored.”  
“Don’t you have things to do?”  
“So?”  
-  
“What’s up, Fei!”  
“Hey Jack. Are you only starting your day right now? It’s 3pm.”  
“No! You have no faith in me. I was practicing all night and lost track of time, for your information.”  
-  
“Hey Jack, good to see you again.”  
“Hey YuanJing! Fei’s mysterious last suitemate… are you studying with us today?”  
“Yea. I didn’t know I was mysterious. I’m surprised you agree to study with Fei so often, she’s the worst person to be in the library with.”  
“What is that supposed to mean?!”  
“Sorry Fei, it’s true.”  
-  
“And then Chris and Miriam totally defiled the la–”  
“It seriously stresses me out when you talk about Dr. Roberts and Dr. Shephard like that.”  
-  
“Hey Jack?”  
“Yea?”  
“What are you working on?”  
“Music lesson plans. It’s one of my few non-performance based classes.”  
“So you tutor?”  
“Yep.”  
“What instrument do you play? You’ve never told me.”  
“Come to a concert and find out!”  
-  
“Hey Fei.”  
“Hmmm…?”  
“I talked to my grandmother, Ysabeau, last night.”  
“How lovely!”  
“She said the head of your family is older than her. And she’s _oooooooold._ ”  
“And?”  
“What do you mean ‘and’?? You know age means something with vampires! And you got mad at me for not saying I was a de Clermont!”  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m too busy with my Western blot.”  
-  
“Leonard! It’s wonderful to see you again! How are you?”  
“I’m good, Fei! Jack practically dragged me back up here to listen to his stupid final presentation for his teaching class.”  
“Hey!! It was good!”  
“Well, it was sweet of you to actually come. I’m glad you’re feeling better. Jack didn’t invite _me_ to listen to his presentation.”  
-  
“I just think it’s a stupid rule.”  
“Why do you care so much that the woman makes the first decision in mating?”  
“It’s just stupid. I mean, who made the first move between my uncles Hugh and Fernando?”  
“Have you ever asked them?”  
“No. Makes uncle Fernando sad.”  
“Yea, it's the same with Qu Yuan. Well, while I agree that gender is a construct, I think you’re a little too worked up about this. You’ll be ok.”  
“Easy for you to say.”  
-  
“I think dad was being a little overprotective–”  
“You can’t blame Matthew for that. Philip’s familiar is a griffin, those things are dangerous.”  
“What’s your familiar?”  
“Mine’s a south china tiger. It stays inside me in the library, though. My cousin had a tibetan dragon, it nearly tore our entire estate apart.”  
“I still think the Loch Ness monster is someone’s familiar.”  
“Yea, I know, you say that all the time. I still think either the sheer size or the scottish witch hunts rule that out.”  
-  
By the end of the semester, Fei loosened up, and it only took a tap on the shoulder to get her to take a break. They argued about stupid things like if Paganini was a daemon or if Taylor Swift was better than Selena Gomez. They left the library after dark to enjoy glasses of wine or blood together on nights that Fei didn’t need to sleep. She came down to London once and met his gang of “lost boys” (as his mum affectionately named them), and he became friends with her suitemates. Two weeks flew by, and Jack’s assignments were finished way ahead of schedule from matching Fei’s work ethic. Before he knew it, it was time to leave Oxford for China, and his only task left was to rehearse for his concert in January.  
  
And Jack had never felt quite so whole before.  
\-----  
15 hours was far too many hours to be traveling, Jack decided. Taxi to plane to countryside roads, it didn’t matter that every step was privatized by both families; it was still extremely uncomfortable and restrictive. He didn’t know how Fei managed this journey every semester. She remained incredibly calm sitting next to him. If anything, her biggest problem was having to keep him entertained the entire time.  
  
They pulled away from beautiful mountain and river roads and drove deeper into the forest, until finally, a palace came into view. Jack stuck his head out the window to get a better look. Fei giggled, explaining, “It’s built in the traditional Ming style. You’ll love the south wing. That’s where we’re going now, but you’ll be staying near me in the west wing. Sorry.”  
  
Jack had no idea what that meant or why Fei was apologizing. This place was as grand as Sept-Tour, but looked entirely different. They drove around one building (“The north building,” Fei gestured) and into a courtyard. As they all stepped out, Fei made a beeline to hug some people waiting in front of what Jack assumed was the south building. The rest of the de Clermonts were met with an older man. He was a little shorter than Matthew, but held himself tall with grace, and regal silk robes.  
  
Baldwin approached him first, bowing in uncharacteristic deference. The man nodded, and announced, “We welcome the de Clermont family to our home. I am Qu Yuan. I hope that you will feel comfortable as we work together towards a common goal.”  
  
Fei and her family went to move bags and whatnot from the cars. When Jack moved to help, she just shook her head and waved at him to follow his own family inside.  
  
“See you in a bit!” she whispered as she practically shoved Jack away.  
Jack caught up to find the twins fighting with Matthew.  
“Dad, I can’t believe you never told us about this place,” Rebecca accused.  
“Yea, there’s so many brightborns!” Philip added.  
“The Qu family likes to stay private, and we respected those wishes.” Matthew looked slightly amused by their excitement, even if it was causing a headache.  
“Well, looks like we’ll see more of them if Jack keeps this up,” Rebecca said, throwing an elbow into Jack’s ribs. He just rolled his eyes, but the other three continued to fix him with suggestive stares. “What?!” Jack demanded.  
“Nothing,” Matthew replied, in the same tone Ysabeau used to lie with the phrase “of course”.  
  
They were sat around a long table, with wine and blood already ready to be served. As formalities were exchanged, Fei and her family filed in and filled in the rest of the seats. She had changed out of her jeans and sweater in favor of silk skirts and scarf wraps. Jack felt his gaze follow her. She looked… different, in a wonderful way. Something about her relaxed, opened up.  
  
Jack snapped back to reality once introductions started up again. It was hard to keep all the people straight in his head. As the meeting transitioned from small talk to business, he tried to focus, and found himself exchanging glances and funny faces with Fei the entire time.  
  
There had been five attacks in the last two years. Fei’s hair was longer and darker than it had been at Oxford. The victims appeared to be randomly chosen, but most came from smaller families. Fei looked pointedly at his hand and he stopped tapping his fingers. He looked up to see her smile and nod. The organization, called Malitia, was likely based in Russia, although the exact whereabouts were unknown and it involved members from multiple backgrounds. Jack grinned at the grimace Fei pulled, and her expression lightened up after meeting his gaze. The goal of the drug was likely to leave vampires vulnerable for experimentation or assassination that would be otherwise difficult for humans to manage. Jack and Fei stared at each other, alarmed. Fei finally stuck out her tongue to end the moment as the debriefing moved forward.  
  
Jack could feel tensions rise as scheduling and responsibilities were arranged. Fei became more involved in this conversation, asking for more free time so Rebecca and Philip could socialize with the other brightborns or wanting to be part of a search team. Jack trusted Matthew to advocate for him, but even threw in his own request for a music room and more training time. As Baldwin challenged Qu Yuan, the difference in vision became more apparent. Baldwin had very specific intentions, and demands that matched each member of his coven’s strengths. The hierarchy in Qu Yuan’s coven seemed to be set up differently, less stringent and requiring more time for deliberation.  
  
Eventually, after a few scuffles, the meeting was declared over. Continued planning would resume the next day. In a second, Fei was at his side, tugging on his sleeve.  
  
“Come on, let’s go!” she whispered excitedly, leading him out to the west wing. Jack followed gladly, happy to be out of that room at last.  
  
“Fei, your family is huuuuuge,” he said as they entered the house.  
  
“Shoes off!” Fei directed, pointing at the slippers he could wear instead. She beamed and then responded, “Yea, it’s a lot of fun. It’ll be your family too, soon.”  
  
Jack felt his head spin with the implications of that comment. “What–”  
  
“Oh. Oh, no, I mean–god, sorry, I meant that brightborn families tend to be big and confusing, so once Rebecca and Philip start families, then…” she trailed off, face beet red. Jack liked when she got flustered; it was rare, and it reminded him that she was warmblooded, no matter how vampiric she seemed. Jack felt his own heartbeat pick up in response, as he let out a shaky laugh. “Yea, that’s true. I hadn’t thought that far.”  
  
Fei smiled weakly, then opened a door. “This is your room!” she gestured around. “Your stuff is already in here, so you can get settled in. Take as long as you need. My room is two doors down if you need anything. See you later!” she quickly waved goodbye and closed the door. It was a whirlwind that suddenly left him alone here.  
  
Jack hurried to unpack as fast as possible, hoping to catch the tail end of the gigglefest happening outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, would love feedback. Apologies if this chapter was a little choppy (the next one will be similar, unfortunately), but I believe that relationships are a sum of small moments and I really wanted to bring that out here.  
> Also, I had a lot of fun writing from Jack's perspective! I loved when Harkness switched up POVs occasionally, so I wanted to do the same.  
> Look forward to a lot more history in the next chapter!


	5. Mix and Meld

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The families are working together smoothly and getting to know each other. They don't know what Jack and Fei are off doing, those crazy kids.

Despite the work involved and the weight of the visit, Jack found himself having a lot of fun. He trained in controlling his blood rage during the nights into the mornings with Matthew and Fei’s brightborn father, RuXian. Whereas Matthew had taught him to channel his emotion into artwork or to suppress rage by thinking of people he loved, the Qu family took an entirely different approach. They poked and prodded his rage out of him, giving him space to safely fight and release energy. Matthew said it was similar to how Philip, Matthew’s own father, had helped him. So Jack fought. He got stronger. He grew. And he noticed he was more clear-headed during the day.  
  
RuXian was a great coach. Jack never thought he could feel in control or safe when in a rage, but it was starting to happen under RuXian’s clever combination of provoking and calming words and movements. Alongside Matthew, it was the perfect environment for Jack.  
  
He practised for his recital in a soundproof room as Fei was off following water paths to track the Malitia’s headquarters, but in every moment off, they spent it together. Jack marveled at the way they gravitated back to each other at every possible chance.  
-  
One day Jack found himself in a new music room.  
  
“Fei, this looks impossible.” he complained as he sat in front of a guzheng. Fei had been trying desperately to listen to Jack practice, or catch a glimpse of his instrument, but he adamantly refused to let her. So, instead, Fei had convinced him to take a lesson in her instrument.  
  
“Oh, it _is_ impossible, that’s why I _didn’t_ major in music.” Fei promised, smirking mischievously.  
  
Fei’s cousin TongTong, who was quickly becoming one of Jack’s favorites, was helping attach finger picks to his hands. Jack wriggled his fingers around in discomfort. “You know, I specifically keep my nails short for the c–my instrument, so this is, like, the worst.”  
  
Fei narrowed her eyes suspiciously, watching from behind her own guzheng. “Do you play… a wind instrument?”  
  
“Nice try. You’re not gonna get it out of me.”  
  
“I do not understand why it’s such a secret!! You’ve even got Rebecca and Philip zipped up!”  
  
Jack chuckled, proud that his siblings had actually managed to keep their promise. Before he could tease Fei more, TongTong cut in, “Alright, Jack, you’re all set. Now, the strings are on a pentatonic scale, so you want to press _here_ or _here_ to get those other two notes. Now, when you pluck the string, pull your finger back into your palm like this.” She demonstrated and Jack tried to imitate her, to some success. The sound was still impure and shaky. Fei showed him again. Jack watched closely, but it still didn’t sound right when he copied the move.  
  
“Here”–Fei got up and came next to him, and gently placed her hand over his own–”try doing it like this instead.” He let her guide his hand down to the string at a different angle, and tried again. “Hey, that sounds better!”  
  
“Alright, I’m a prodigy!” Jack cheered, turning to look up at her. Fei met his eyes with a wide smile, nodding enthusiastically.  
  
“Jack, I’ll have you know, Fei has never cared this much about the guzheng before,” TongTong deadpanned.  
  
Fei shot her a dirty look and muttered, “whatever,” before returning back to her seat.  
  
TongTong resumed the lesson, but that wasn’t the last time Fei got up to correct Jack with a nudge in the right direction. Jack swore Fei was the best teacher. Maybe because his focus seemed to hike up to 100 when she was near, or maybe because her warmth was positive reinforcement. Whatever it was, TongTong seemed to agree, if her conspiratorial wink meant anything.  
  
Tong Tong was definitely Jack’s favorite of the cousins.  
  
-  
After a long night of training and a refreshing shower, Jack stepped out into the courtyard to find Rebecca, Philip and Fei playing with the freshly fallen snow. Philip set fire to various different surfaces in the yard, while Rebecca and Fei put the fires out with water bolts. It turned into a fun whack-a-mole game that trained Philip’s fire control, and Rebecca and Fei’s ability to react, aim, and prioritize threats depending on the material alight. Their familiars were also tumbling around together, worked up by all the excitement around them.  
  
Jack was still toweling off his hair, unbothered by the cold, when Fei noticed him. She froze and stared for a fair while, causing Rebecca and Philip to turn too. When they only saw Jack, the twins returned to their game, but Fei ran up to him.  
  
“Hey! How was training?” she asked, cheeks rosy. From the temperature or seeing him, he didn’t know.  
  
“It was good! What are you all up to?”  
  
“This is _our_ training, technically.” Fei laughed. “My dad says you’re doing great! He’s tough to impress–I’m proud of you.” She looked up at him with such a warm glow in her eyes, Jack was speechless. Fei's eyes drifted up to his hair, then said, “Hey, watch this.” Gently moving her fingers around invisible strings, Jack reached up and felt that his hair had dried in a matter of seconds.  
  
“Thanks,” he grinned, catching her hand before it fell back to her side. He lightly rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, and Fei watched his movement intently.  
  
The moment ended abruptly when Rebecca narrowly missed Jack’s head with a stream of water. Jack turned around to see the fire she was going for, and turned back to see Rebecca and Fei giggling, with Rebecca offering the least sincere apology he’d ever heard.  
  
Fei returned to the game, and Jack watched from a safe distance. It was nice to see his little sister and brother have fun again. He was almost afraid they’d become stuffy adult professors, growing up without him. The game was well designed for the niche of brightborns, and they could use their full range of abilities. And Fei had an air of elegance, surprising Jack more than a few times with her power.  
  
She really was something else.  
-  
Returning from a post-dinner walk, Fei and Jack overheard voices coming from a conference room in the south building.  
  
“...seems like Jack is too.”  
  
With a single look, they silently agreed: time to eavesdrop. Still as rocks, they knelt outside the door and listened in to the conversation between their families.  
  
“Fei’s the youngest in our family by far. Who knows what they get up to. They’re practically attached at the hip,” TongTong’s voice rang out. She sounded amused, and maybe a little exasperated.  
  
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jack so lively,” Phoebe commented.  
  
Marcus chuckled, then added, “Of course Jack needs a partner in crime. He can’t find his lost boys every time he wants to have some fun. And Rebecca and Philip are in a different stage of life right now.”  
  
“Well, I must say, Fei’s never been like this before. She’s always been reserved, focusing on her work or playing catch-up with her cousins. It’s nice to see this different side of her come out with Jack.”  
  
“They’re young, they’re in love, they deserve to embrace life.” Matthew finished, and a murmur of agreement spread throughout the room.  
  
“Not that you’re anyone to judge, Dad, you’re the messiest of all,” Marcus ribbed.  
  
RuXian’s tone was light, “We never did hear about the love that started the age of creatures. Please, Matthew, tell the story.”  
  
Jack started to move, uninterested in the story he’d heard a thousand times before. But Fei gripped his jacket, clearly wanting to stay a bit longer. He settled back into his position, this time watching Fei’s animated reactions–delight to devastation–as the tale of Diana and Matthew was retold.  
  
Jack considered that maybe, he’d never given proper appreciation to his parents’ journey.  
-  
Near the end of the trip, Fei knocked on his door soon after he had woken up from a rare night of sleep.  
  
“Hey,” she whispered. Jack noticed the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. Fei must not have slept last night. “Will you go on a walk with me? I need some space from this place,” she explained.  
  
Jack nodded, quickly throwing on real clothes and meeting her at the gate. He understood what she was feeling; everyone had vampire hearing, and the walls weren’t enough to keep your privacy.  
  
Fei pulled her scarf wrap closer around her, and started down in a direction she’d never brought Jack before. They ended up in one of the mountains that protected their palace. Fei liked bouldering up certain faces, and Jack watched from the walkable path. As the sun was rising, they settled on a stony outcrop. Fei rested her head on his shoulder, and Jack enjoyed the warmth from her cheek.  
  
“I think I love you.”  
  
Jack was shocked by how casual her confession was, before letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Oh thank god. Wow, that took a long time.”  
  
Fei turned to look at him, feigning outrage. “What is _that_ supposed to mean?!”  
  
“It means I love you too and I hate that I had to wait for you to make the first move cause you took _foreeeeeever._ ”  
  
Fei barked out a surprised laugh, looking out into the distance. “In my defense, you’re a de Clermont, and I had to think about that for a long time.”  
  
Jack frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”  
  
“Oh, well. Your family is very different from mine. Marcus and the Knights are always involved in politics and power plays. Baldwin seems very invested in economics and power dynamics. All the things my family specifically avoids.”  
  
Jack thought for a minute, recalling everything he had learned about the Qu coven and how it compared to his own. Jack had always been curious about everything, something Matthew always indulged, and he felt the itch of the unknown bothering him a lot. Something was missing in the puzzle, so he couldn’t connect the dots Fei had laid out. Finally, he asked, “Fei, can you explain that more? I mean, sure, I learned a lot about each member of your family. But I still don’t know the history so I can’t make the connection to why your family is so averse to those things.”  
  
Fei hummed, face solemn. “That’s a fair thing to ask. You did the same for me. Where should I start… Qu Yuan… to be honest, it’s weird to think about his history when I know him as my great-great-grandfather. To me, he’s just someone I love, nothing fancy.” Fei shrugged, then resumed. “He’s very old, like your grandmother told you. I don’t know exactly how old, but he tells stories of every dynasty in China. He’s seen them all.” Jack nodded. It was similar to how he felt about Ysabeau.  
  
“He’s known for being a scholar in the Warring States period. It was a time of huge power struggle, and he advised the Chu state. He was thrown out of court for being too honest… but he really, really believed in the Chu people and rulers. Even after leaving, he wrote poems about them. And about everything else.” An amused smile formed on her face. “Qu Yuan is not at all conceited. But he’s _so_ proud of his poems. We have to memorize them in history and literature lessons.”  
  
“That’s so cool! To be fair, I feel like I would do the same, if I were a poetic genius.”  
  
She nodded. “True! But the Chu state lost the war. Qu Yuan thought that was a good time to fake his death and start a new life, so he threw himself into a river. I don’t know if he considered how his fame would complicate things. He was revered as a true patriot, giving his life to his country. People went looking for his body, throwing food into the river to deter any animals from eating it. The holiday _Duan Wu Jie_ is a celebration in honor of him. We find it really funny, we make a whole big deal of it and Qu Yuan _hates_ it.”  
  
Jack laughed. That sounded like when Mum threw big birthday parties for Dad or any other vampire in the family. “So then when did your brightborn family start?”  
  
Fei sighed, serious again. “Qu Yuan laid low for many decades. It was more than a thousand years later he met my great-great-grandmother, Empress Fang.” She frowned. “I never knew her. Me and my brightborn cousins never knew her, but all our vampire relatives did. It’s strange to talk about her. She’s family, so I want to use the same endearments I do for Qu Yuan, but I can’t shake formality.”  
  
Jack wondered if that was how Rebecca and Philip’s children would feel about Diana one day. His loving mum, only known as ‘the most powerful witch of the age’ or ‘head of the Congregation’ and not ‘best tea-maker in the States.’ It was an odd thought. Jack forced himself to refocus and said, “She was an empress? That’s a big deal.”  
  
“No, not exactly. The court at that time had some knowledge of creatures. She was chosen because they knew she was a witch, and hoped that would help quell some infighting in the court. I guess, in a way, it did.”  
  
“What does that mean?”  
  
“The emperor she married was notoriously cruel towards women. His consorts organized a rebellion against him because of it. I think he’s the only emperor who was terrible enough to have that much opposition mounted against him not for power, but for vengeance.”  
  
They both shuddered at the thought. Fei continued, “Empress Fang was notified at the last minute, and ran in to stop the assassination. The other consorts had taken her weavers' cords, not knowing what they were, and used them to try to strangle the emperor. He was left in a state of shock, so Empress Fang took over punishment, and sentenced them to a slow death by a thousand cuts.”  
  
“Like the Taylor Swift song!”  
  
“Like, so much worse than Taylor Swift’s heartbreak. Sometimes I wonder if she was unforgiving because she was upset about the cords. I guess I’ll never know. But then the emperor was upset that his favorite consort was killed as part of the rebellion! So when the palace caught on fire years later and Empress Fang was stuck inside, he decided not to save her. He honored her in death instead, which is total nonsense.”  
  
Jack almost thought he misheard Fei, he was so surprised by the sudden turn of events. “But then... What happened?”  
  
“Well, Qu Yuan occasionally served in courts as a low-rank scholar, always keeping himself low-profile. That was the case this time. He went in to help, but found Empress Fang taking care of the situation herself. She had entirely ruined the foundation of the palace and brought up groundwater to clear a path to safety. Qu Yuan says he fell in love with her right then and there. He helped her rebuild her life, they started a brightborn family, happily ever after.” Fei got a dreamy look in her eyes as she finished her story.  
  
“That’s amazing, Fei.”  
  
“Yea, it kind of is. That’s why most of us are water witches, like Empress Fang. The few of us that aren’t have weaver parents that married in with a different element.”  
  
Fei paused, then looked Jack in the eyes. His breath caught at how close she was. “We avoid politics because it’s poisonous. My great-great-grandparents did the right things. It ‘killed’ both of them. I can’t even imagine how toxic an environment it had to be for Empress Fang to make such harsh decisions, but the correct ones, and still be punished for it. What awful consequences that had on her mental health and well-being. Wanting power is such a corrupting force, even if it starts off with good intentions… Qu Yuan’s seen it all. Empresses killing their own children for power. Consorts turning against each other, scholars giving harmful advice just to curry favor with the monarch. I don’t know what it’s like inside the de Clermont family. But if it is like that, I can have no part.”  
  
Jack could see the grave resolution in her eyes. He understood how she felt. He had heard stories of Matthew being forced to do things that kept him in church for days afterwards, of why Gallowglass disappeared for years after the war, how the well-designed family was somehow always assigned jobs that would hurt the most. But his heart didn’t break because they were only that: stories of the past.  
  
“My uncle Fernando refused to join the family for years. Apparently, longer than Matthew’s even been a vampire. I think it was for the reason you’re saying now–he didn’t want to be forced into demoralizing jobs on behalf of the head. Everyone usually speaks very fondly of Philip Sr, except for him.”  
  
“...You never told me that about Fernando.”  
  
“I didn’t think it was relevant.”  
  
“But he’s part of your family now?”  
  
“Yea. He joined our scion. Our Bishop-Clairmont branch is different, Fei. I told you felt like I really started living when I rejoined Diana and Matthew. It’s because I was never forced into a role, didn’t have to meet awful expectations or obligations anymore. I could just be myself. So please… don’t let that stop you.”  
  
The corners of Fei’s mouth slowly turned up, and she gently traced lines on the side of Jack’s face. He closed his eyes, feeling like he might explode from all the feelings swirling inside him.  
  
Fei whispered, “May I?” To which he replied his consent.  
  
Jack felt Fei’s lips press, ever so gently, on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! My favorite book in the All Souls trilogy is Shadow of Night, because I could look up characters and end up learning a significant amount of actual history. So here's my attempt at that! Qu Yuan and Empress Fang are both real people and these are real events (though, obviously, the supernatural parts are added for pizzaz). If you want to talk more about history, I'm happy to! If you're curious about the guzheng Jack plays, here's a very funny video explaining it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9oIerpUQo8  
> I would love feedback-I'm afraid these past two chapters have been a little choppy. They were originally supposed to be one single chapter (hence why it's Jack's POV again), but I decided to separate and shorten them.


	6. If the moment is right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fei finally finds out what instrument Jack plays in an excellent musical display. Inspiration also strikes her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: It gets a little bit suggestive at the end of this chapter.

Tonight was the night. I was finally going to Jack’s concert and finding out what damn instrument he played. It had been a huge (and pointless!) mystery during our time together in China. We had returned to Oxford a week ago for the start of the semester, and I was excited to enjoy a night of music.  
  
My suitemates helped me get ready. YuanJing made my face her beautiful canvas, Adrianna helped with my hair and dress, Amy shouted compliments from behind her computer screen. I really appreciated their help, even if they pestered me with questions about everything that happened over break.  
  
Right on schedule, I took a final look in the mirror and smoothed down my midi champagne satin dress. I thought I looked appropriate for a classical concert. As I stepped out of the dorm, Adrianna shouted a final parting comment, “You better not come home tonight!”  
  
The walk to the venue was short and pleasant. I breathed in the crisp evening air, taking the rare opportunity to fully appreciate the beautiful, quaint, Oxford campus. As I passed St. Hugh’s lawn, I said a silent goodbye and thank you to my dear cellist. They were there for me for a long time, but my heart belonged entirely to Jack now.  
  
The hall was marvelous, with beautiful murals, expensive chandeliers, and patently great acoustics. As I looked for my seat, I spotted security escorting two humans out of the mezzanine. They appeared to be drunk or otherwise intoxicated. I frowned. It was only about 7pm. That was far too early to be drinking, wasn’t it? And why come here instead of going to a club downtown?  
  
I shook my head, busying myself with the program instead of judging random people I didn’t know. Jack was soloing with the Oxford symphony orchestra and he played… _cello_.  
  
I stared at the paper, reading and rereading his introduction, taking in every detail of his professional headshot. He looked a little awkward, with a silly boyish smile, leaning in towards his cello. Second year MSt student in music performance. Hailing from London. Vampire who has played cello for an unknown number of years. Mostly things I knew. One major fact I had been waiting to learn. If he played cello, he _definitely_ knew the person I talked about on our first night together at the cafe. Or worse…  
  
My worst suspicions were confirmed when Jack walked onto the stage and played his first few notes. The tonality, the musicality, the richness of the instrument… _Jack was my secret cellist_. There was no mistaking his style. He spotted me and gave me a wink before starting, but now he was too focused on his music to look out at the audience. I was glad, because my expression was too embarrassing to be seen. Shock, admiration, anger, adoration, disbelief, love… definitely did not mix well on my face.  
  
Jack’s form was excellent. His notes were crisp and clear, his movements precise, his vibrato clean and strong. His fingers glided across the fingerboard with confidence and elegance–but there was something just a little wild about the way he played. The intensity rolled off him in waves. It was evident he put every ounce of his being into his work, left every emotion and sensation on the stage for the audience to marinate in.  
  
He started with Elgar’s concerto in E minor, a piece that broke my heart when I heard it first on the lawn, and again evoked the feeling of sorrow with every long, purposeful pull of his bow. He continued with Piatti’s Caprices, using the incredible technicality to tell a tale of challenge and growth. Difficulty did not hinder musicality in the slightest. He finally ended on a non-traditional Dvorak: Coming Home. His phrases spoke to his unique story, one of pain and loss that turned to love and happiness; optimism despite a harrowing past. I was learning about Jack in a way that a lifetime of words could not replace. I felt myself understanding him better and loving him deeper for every hardship that made him who he was.  
  
(If his suit was well cut to show off his broad shoulders, or if the lighting highlighted his high cheekbones and tall nose, that wasn’t my focus.)  
  
Even after the music ended and the house lights turned on, I stayed in my seat, overwhelmed by the experience. It was like coming down from a high. Eventually, after many odd looks, I gathered myself to wait for Jack at the performers’ side door. He stepped out and spotted me immediately. His cello case slung over his shoulder with ease, he pulled me in with his hands on either side of my face to kiss me breathless.  
  
Taking advantage of the moment I needed to recollect myself, he shot me a troublemaker’s smirk and asked, “So what’d you think?”  
  
“I cannot believe you didn’t tell me.”  
  
“Shouldn’t you be saying, ‘That was a great surprise, Jack, you were amazing and I love you so much’?” he poorly mimicked me with a high-pitched voice.  
  
“It _was_ amazing and I _do_ love you so much _and_ I am _so mad_ you never told me! Have you known since that night at the cafe?!”  
  
Jack walked ahead, taking my hand and tugging me along the cobblestone street. I followed behind reluctantly, wanting an answer. His shrug and grin told me everything I needed to know: yes, he knew I was talking about him practicing at St. Hugh’s. He saw how in love I was with his talent all the way back then.  
  
“Unbelievable!” I exclaimed.  
  
“Hey, in my defense, it’s pretty uncommon to practice at St. Hugh’s. It was an obvious clue.”  
  
“You said my description was too vague at the time.”  
  
“Ok, yea, I lied about that. You were really cute trying to be subtle, and I thought it would be more embarrassing if I said it was me right then and there.”  
  
“So I’d be embarrassed now instead?”  
  
“You shouldn’t be!” Jack shouted, laughing as he wrapped me in his arms. I melted into giggles, as he continued, “It wouldn’t have made a difference, we still would have ended up here.”  
  
I couldn’t argue with that, as we headed back together to his apartment.  
  
We passed by a bar on our way, and I watched a couple of guys stumble out with bottles in their hands. It reminded me of the people removed from the concert hall earlier, and then suddenly I was struck with an idea. My feelings of joy after the concert was natural, but drugs could be used to create highs. Those drugs usually start as pharmaceutical. The thoughts blazed through my mind like wildfire, and I felt my fingers tingle with power at the inspiration. Jack gave me a concerned look, waving his hand in front of my face as I thought this through.  
  
“Fei? You alright?”  
  
I beamed at him. “I have something to tell Miriam. Something that might get me into the lab.”  
  
Jack looked surprised, but quickly shared my excitement. “That’s great! Do you want me to text her?”  
  
I shook my head. “No, I want to tell her myself. Besides… I have something else on my mind right now,” I murmured, my eyes flitting over Jack’s physique.  
  
And with that, Jack’s eyes darkened and we hurried the rest of the way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm not a cellist (I'm a violinist) so please forgive me if the repertoire I've chosen was a little odd. As always, I appreciate feedback, musical or otherwise! If you want to listen to the songs I mentioned, here are some links:  
> Elgar:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d44DbNQ81cM  
> Piatti:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7MK42JnRiE  
> Dvorak:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrBOkHfvNSY
> 
> And here is fair warning: the next chapter is going to be short and smutty and add absolutely nothing to the overall story. That's also partly the reason why this chapter is so short oops.


	7. To be young and in love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> s m u t

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This chapter is just smut. It adds nothing and I mean nothing to the story. So please feel free to skip if you don't want to read it. It was supposed to be one chapter with the last chapter, but then I was like... maybe allow people to opt out.

Even before they made it into the building, Fei and Jack were struggling to keep their hands off of each other. Heated kisses in the corridor distracted attempts to unlock the door. They were lucky it was late at night, with no neighbors around to witness and stop the debauchery.  
  
Jack moved to nip at Fei’s ear and whispered, “How much do you care about your dress?”  
  
Fei felt the ache between her legs grow more intense at his suggestive words. “...not that much,” she managed to reply.  
  
The lock finally clicked open. In one swift motion, Jack pulled her in, slammed the door shut and attached his lips to her neck, leaving a trail of love bites and pulling a moan from Fei. He reached around her and promptly ripped her dress at the seams.  
  
“The zipper was right there!” Fei gasped at the sudden aggression.  
  
“Not fast enough,” Jack murmured against her skin, swiftly working his way down, pulling away her bra and taking one nipple into his mouth while his hand teased at the other. The sensations successfully stopped Fei from listing any other complaint she might have had.  
  
Her dress fell off her form. She left it in a careless pile on the floor, as she stepped out to wrap her legs around his torso. She could already feel his long member, straining against the material between them. He carried her over to the bed, still sucking and pinching and nipping at the sensitive areas of her breasts.  
  
He laid her down gently, then took a step back to admire her already-tousled appearance, feeling the desire build up inside of him. Fei whined at the sudden loss of contact, which only made Jack want to ravish her more. Fei sat up on her knees, reaching up to smooth her hands across his shoulders and down his arms, sliding his suit jacket off. Jack threw it unceremoniously across the room. She started working on undoing his buttons, when he growled quietly, “Did you get dressed up under that pretty gold number just for me?”  
  
Fei just loosened his tie over his collar, using it to pull him in for another desperate kiss. During the passionate open-mouthed kiss, Fei slid his shirt off as well, tracing her fingers over his defined muscles underneath. She really appreciated the way he broadened and built up during his training over break. She would never say that aloud, Jack knew it anyways.  
  
“I kinda like the tie. Can it stay?” Fei breathlessly asked when they finally broke apart.  
  
Jack sent her a wicked grin, as he lightly pushed her back down onto her back. “You’re weird. But yes if this can stay too,” he answered, gesturing at her lingerie.  
  
“Deal. And I’m not the weird one, y– _unngh_.” Fei lost all train of thought as Jack busied himself between her legs. He slipped her panties to the side and licked a long strip up her, teasing her clit with sharp flicks of his tongue. She buried her hand in his hair, messing up the last of his professional-concert-look as she urged him closer. She was already dripping wet, and Jack easily slid a finger into her, then two. Fei marveled at how good it felt. She was already seeing stars. He dexterously stroked her sensitive spot, moving faster and using his mouth to devour her with more intensity with every whimper that escaped her. Fei was enthralled by the pleasure, and Jack liked the feeling of control. So when he noticed her heartbeat picking up as she neared a climax, he pulled away, unable to help the smug look on his face.  
  
“Wha–why–” Fei started, but then focused on Jack unbuckling his belt. She immediately reached to help, pulling down his pants and boxers in one fell swoop. Without any hesitation, she took him into her mouth, swirling her tongue over the tip in a way that made Jack curse her name. Fei thought Jack’s domination “thing” was ridiculous. She didn’t mind it, but it was surprising given the rest of his personality. She took this chance to turn the tables.  
  
She laid him down on the bed and straddled him, and Jack raised his eyebrows, almost in a challenge. Fei teased him at her entrance, which only served to frustrate Jack more, but quickly gave in to her own desires. She sank down onto his thick member, sighing happily at how well he stretched her, how good he felt. Jack let out a groan, gripping her hips so tightly she knew it would leave bruises the next morning.  
  
Jack let a hand fall onto her ass cheek, satisfied with the slap and the cry of pleasure it drew from Fei. He met every roll of her hips with an upwards thrust of his own, creating a perfect rhythm that tipped them both closer and closer to release.  
  
Fei felt the pit of lust inside her come undone, and she bit down on his heart vein as waves of euphoria washed over her. With his sweet blood flowed his special brand of love, mixed with thankfulness and growth because Jack could be his whole self with her. Jack didn’t let her come down from the high, instead reaching between her legs to rub tight circles into her clit, pushing her towards another orgasm. As they both unraveled together, Jack bit into her heart vein in turn. He drank in her adoration and appreciation because Fei became more balanced with him. There was absolute trust as pieces of family history or past events were shared as well, stories that were forgotten during conversations but never hidden.  
  
They collapsed next to each other in a satisfied, rumpled mess. They were silly and reckless and young and powerful and deeply in love. They deserved moments to themselves like this.  
  
After a while, Fei turned over and cupped the side of Jack’s face, saying, “You know, I won’t be tired tonight.”  
  
There was a mischievous glint in Jack’s eye when he responded, “Neither will I.” And he pulled her in for another deep kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> skskskskksks sorry. I thought I would try writing smut to challenge myself. kskskksksksksksksk


	8. Set in motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preparing for new science and preparing for old war.

“Come on, Miriam loves me!” Jack complained.  
  
“It’ll only be half an hour! You’ll survive,” I shot back, rolling my eyes.  
  
Jack pouted. He was not happy about being barred from my meeting, but I felt like I had to pitch my idea myself. I didn’t want her to take me in just because I was associated with the de Clermonts now. I had, however, underestimated the pull that came with fully mating. I gave Jack one last kiss, whispered, “Drama queen,” then headed into the lab building alone.  
  
Miriam was as curt as always. “So,” she started the second I entered the lab, “You think there’s a potential to use this poison, instead of just finding a cure. That’s a curious and controversial take. But you’ve got good sense for a scientist. Tell me more.”  
  
I was flustered by her quick but clear compliment. I pushed by my hair back and collected myself before launching into my prepared pitch.  
  
“Many creatures believe that vampires have no need for medical treatments. While there is sound reasoning behind this belief–most notably, the fast healing rates of vampires after sustaining physical injury–it is not entirely true. There are still an array of diseases that inflict vampires, such as blood rage, ennui, or dazzlement. True solutions have not been pursued for any. A major issue when considering medications for vampires, and a major distinction between the physiologies of vampires and warmblooded creatures, is that vampires break down compounds too rapidly for any effect to take place. This is why this new drug, which is able to stay in vampire bodies for extended amounts of time, maybe hold great potential as a vehicle to deliver medical treatments. This includes gene therapy, SSRIs–the possibilities are endless. Although vampires already enjoy a heightened quality of life, it isn’t equitable across the board. And I don’t believe in shying away from the space for improvement.”  
  
I let out a huge breath, trying to stop the trembling in my hands, relieved I got through it all without any hitches. Miriam nodded, looking thoughtful.  
  
“Good, very good elevator pitch… could be edited to be more accessible to a general audience, but for me, it worked well. And a good idea… medical approaches for vampires rather than relying on predispositions or the occasional witch… So you don’t want to focus on brightborn genetics anymore?”  
  
“If given the opportunity, I would be happy to assist in any project this lab takes on, including research on brightborn genetics. However, that is no longer my primary interest. I believe there is more value in answering a question that will help others, rather than just for the sake of knowledge.”  
  
“Others like Jack?”  
  
I was careful to keep my face blank. I didn’t want Miriam to think I was only here because of Jack. I really wanted this to be about my own academic endeavours and capabilities. “While I am interested in helping those I know with blood rage, I believe this research goes beyond any individual. They are survivors of a traumatic genocide against their health, and I’d like to help right that wrong on a larger scale.”  
  
“Excellent motive... Well, Fei, I’m happy to welcome you as our very undergrad in the Shephard-Clairmont lab. You’ve got creative ideas and presented yourself like a true doctor. When you look into graduate schools, I would suggest a joint MD/PhD program. But for now, let’s work on a thesis.”  
  
“Wait… does that mean… I’m in?” The entire time, I was stiff with nerves and preoccupied with coming off professional. Once Miriam smiled and nodded, my entire body went slack as all the stress left my body. Miriam snorted at my physical reaction, before getting back to business. She really wasted no time.  
  
“Alright, let’s get you oriented with the lab. And you’re going to have to get more comfortable with the people who come in and out of here. I can’t stand your hammering heartbeat.”  
\-----  
I felt into a comfortable pattern over the course of the next couple months. All my free time was either spent in the lab or with Jack in the practice rooms.  
  
Miriam and Chris had already figured out the structure of the poison before I joined. They were almost done developing an antagonist that would render it useless, to be administered via shot. While they continued working on making their cure more effective, I took a closer look at the poison to isolate what allowed it to stay in a vampire’s body for so long. That would be the only part I needed for my own drug development. It was feeling more like an organic chemist’s job rather than a biochemist’s, but I didn’t mind the extra work.  
  
I would try to look over data and graphs while Jack played the cello, but I inevitably got distracted. His music would spark magic under my skin, and besides, my time with him felt oddly limited. He was taking extended weekend trips with Marcus and the Knights to keep tracking Malitia’s headquarters. The organization had definitely gone through extensive lengths to avoid and confound even our most genius daemons and intuitive witches.  
  
I hated when he was gone, but I understood that it was necessary. The same way he let me go into lab by myself. We didn’t enjoy separation, but we knew that we’d always find our way back to each other as soon as possible.  
  
(Although Jack definitely did _try_ to visit me in lab. It made Miriam very unhappy. He finally gave up when she very aggressively muttered, “I know my place is with the de Clermonts. But by God, the de Clermonts love to test me.” We both loved Miriam, and she was amazing in everything she did, but we were also a little scared of her. Or maybe we were scared of her _because_ she was so amazing.)  
  
By mid-February, the counter-drug had been perfected by Miriam and Chris, and I had found the part of the poison I wanted. They worked on increasing the yield and building up a stock in case of battle, and I started looking into human models of gene therapy to adapt for a vampire’s body.  
  
In March, another meeting was called and it was clear the brewing conflict was coming to an end soon. This time I was already in the lab, clearing away my pipettes and organic solvents when Jack, Matthew, Baldwin, Marcus, and Phoebe poured in. As I trashed my gloves, Jack met me with a kiss on the forehead. No sooner than the door was closed did Baldwin start barking out instructions.  
  
“Good news, we’ve found the headquarters and identified the leader. Man who goes by Edwin Mark. Bad news, it’s a big organization and it’s gonna be an ugly fight. And they’ve got the power of the media on their side as of now. So, before anything happens, we’re going to get Phoebe to write a statement for the press.”  
  
Phoebe nodded, turning to Jack and asking, “Can I interview Leonard? I think that’d earn good favor and sympathy points.”  
  
Baldwin nodded approvingly. She was definitely one of his favorites in the family, because she could think on his wavelength and work slyly like a politician. Jack frowned, and replied, “I’ll ask, but it’s up to Leonard. Don’t push him too hard, Phoebe.”  
  
Baldwin ignored that potential problem, and I guessed from Matthew’s scowl that Matthew would have to deal with any issues that came up if Leonard refused. Baldwin continued, “As for the battle, the Qu family has offered to help when we tell them. I’m assuming you’re part of that, Fei.”  
  
Now it was my turn to disapprove. “I’m sure my family said that, but we don’t have extensive training in fighting. Winter break was spent exercising defense, not attacks. I don’t think we’ll be properly prepared.” I answered sharply.  
  
Baldwin looked back at me with some surprise. “Well, it’s good to know that you’ve got fighting _spirit_ in you, at least. That’s the first time you’ve ever looked me in the eye, much less talked back. I already know your family doesn’t fight, so we’re hosting you at Sept-Tours to learn. All of us vampires are fighters, and so is Diana. Rebecca and Philip need training, too. I’m not interested in a suicide mission.”  
  
Jack cut in, “When? We have school, you know.”  
  
Matthew answered, “It’ll be during the spring break. You won’t miss any classes.”  
  
Jack and I both nodded in agreement with the plan.  
  
“Besides,” Baldwin sneered, fixing me with a curious look, “It’ll be a good time for the family to meet your _wife_ , Jack.”  
  
To my own shock, I was unintimidated. Fixing him with a relaxed smirk, I shot back, “Woooow, nothing gets past you. No wonder you’re the strategist of the family.”  
  
From the peals of laughter from Matthew and Marcus, and the begrudging smile from Baldwin himself, I concluded that I would do just fine with the de Clermonts.  
\-----  
Jack did not like travelling. I noticed that when we first went to China. He wanted to stretch and run, not be contained no matter how comfortably. It was a little hard to keep him entertained and calm, so we were both relieved when we rolled into the gravel driveway. Sept-Tours was a beautiful, traditionally medieval castle with the crest of the de Clermonts waving high. There was such a regal air of history here. It matched the lady standing at the main gate waiting for us.  
  
“My dad built this place himself,” Jack told me excitedly as we got out of the car. “And that’s my grandmother, Ysabeau, waiting for us.”  
  
Ysabeau was a slight-looking woman, shorter than me, but she more than made up for that with an elegant and strong presence. She clearly held the power here. Jack rushed to greet her with kisses to each cheek. Something told me to linger behind. Even when Jack waved me forward, I kept my distance, curtsying politely until Ysabeau herself welcomed me.  
  
“So this is Jack’s wife. It’s so unfortunate we were not able to meet sooner. My grandson has always been a bit… rash. Welcome to our home.” Her tone seemed pleasant, but underneath, I could tell she was a little angry we had mated before I met her. Before I had gained her seal of approval.  
  
“Thank you for having me. It’s beautiful here.” I replied, mirroring her amicable yet distance tone. She nodded once before turning around to lead us into the foyer. Jack checked my shoulder lightly with his own.  
  
“Don’t worry about her. She’s just old school,” he whispered.  
  
“Oh, I’m not worried. We’re going to get along swimmingly by the end of this trip.” I vowed. Jack gave me an impressed look  
  
“Look at you, not shying away from authority anymore. That’s my girl,” he teased. He threw his arm around me as we headed up to our room.  
\-----  
I realized, pretty quickly, that Jack was also the baby of his family. After settling into our room, we ran about in the surrounding forest to let out energy. The second we re-entered the view of the castle, Jack was told off by Marthe, their sweet housekeeper, to freshen up and change for a family dinner. She was a little kinder when addressing me, but it was clear she was thought of us both as overgrown children.  
  
As we sat at the long table, I saw that Jack was not kidding about his family’s love for wine. There was a row of bottles at the end of the table and more scattered around, all well-aged and expensive. There was also a wide assortment of blood and some human food; a very accommodating spread for the creatures at the table. The head of the table was conspicuously empty. I caught up with Rebecca and Philip while we waited for the Sires to enter and begin the meal. Rebecca was just telling me about her students at USC and how much she dreaded grading their biology midterms when Matthew, Baldwin, and an old woman walked in. Everyone at the table stood until they took their seats. The woman looked to be about 80, but in excellent physical health for her age. Her hair was silvery and her posture was pin-straight, and words flitted across her skin.  
  
This was Diana Bishop, the most powerful witch of the age, the embodiment of the Book of Life.  
  
Apparently no one cared. The conversation resumed right where it had left off. Just as Rebecca was getting back to how she wished she could train the entire time instead of grading, Diana interrupted, “I warned you that was the worst part of academia, Rebecca. So, you must be Fei! It’s great to finally meet you. Matthew’s told me so much.”  
  
She gave me a very warm smile, that I returned with an internal sigh of relief. “It’s a privilege to meet you, Dame Bishop-Clairmont, honored member of the Congregation.”  
  
She waved her hand, “No need for the formalities. If you’re Jack’s mate, you’re my daughter now. Call me Diana.”  
  
“I tried to warn her you don’t like that posh stuff, Mum, but Fei likes to make sure anyways,” Jack explained.  
  
I elbowed his side subtly. “Thank you for having me, Diana, and for offering to train me as a weaver,” I replied smoothly.  
  
“Of course! Matthew says you have a lot of potential, and Chris says you’re shaping up to be quite a scientist as well. And Rebecca and Philip loved their time over winter break with your family. Wouldn’t stop talking about it. I wish I knew about your family before or during the last war… but at least we’re building a great relationship now. That’s what matters.”  
  
“Yes, my family loved Rebecca and Philip! It’s always great getting to know other brightborns. I can’t imagine how you felt starting a brightborn family alone in such a tumultuous time.”  
  
“I know! When information about your family came up on my skin I was outraged that I was never told! Matthew made up some excuse about privacy. The family’s always keeping me out of the east because of Miyako anyways,” Diana huffed and rolled her eyes. I giggled.  
  
“In their defense, we also avoid Miyako!”  
  
The rest of the dinner went more smoothly that I could’ve ever anticipated. Maybe because Diana and Jack were ready to defend me at a moment’s notice, or because my mating with Jack was already irreversible, or because they actually liked me, the rest of the family quickly accepted me.  
-  
I thought winning over Ysabeau would take an entire week of unfaltering politeness, but all it took was mentioning a Marie de France poem I loved.  
“I was just fascinated by the accepting outlook on homosexuality back in the 12th century,” I gushed.  
Matthew started to argue with, “Yes, but the premise of _werewolves_ is just _insult–_ ” but Ysabeau interjected with a curious, “So you are familiar with old French?”  
“Yes, ma’am, but I wouldn’t say I’m fluent. I’m still more comfortable with new French.”  
-  
The only tense moment was with Baldwin. He was content debating with me about the growing Asian economies, and I was fascinated by his intellect regarding the patterns that arose, even if some of his musings were a little concerning. All was well until he announced that I would be useful as a de Clermont international liaison. That sent me into a minor panic, the idea of being a de Clermont fully and having to be part of their meddlings.  
“What do you mean you won’t take on the de Clermont name?” Baldwin demanded.  
“Mum still goes by Bishop! If anything, she’d be part of Matthew’s scion anyways,” Jack started to defend me.  
“Besides, that unwavering obedience stuff isn’t going to fly anymore. We’ve already talked about how damaging that was with Philip Sr,” Marcus added.  
Baldwin looked at Matthew incredulously. Matthew shrugged, entirely too casual for my comfort. “That’s all correct. We won’t force Fei into any role for our family unwillingly. A line will be drawn associating our family trees, like we did with Phoebe, but if she doesn’t want our name I don’t see why she would have to take it on.”  
“Don’t be ridiculous, Baldwin. Sometimes I think you’re still stuck in the 15th century,” Diana teased. Baldwin only scoffed in response, muttering about how no one had respect for old traditions anymore, and the atmosphere relaxed. I regained my composure, saying a thank you to no one in particular. Jack squeezed my hand and gave me a look that said: _I told you my scion was different._  
  
The night winded down naturally. Phoebe was asking after a few paintings she remembered and cataloged during winter break, gaging my family’s interest in loaning them to display in a museum. I assured her that I would ask Qu Yuan, before Diana sent me, Rebecca and Philip to bed.  
  
“Jack, go with her, even if you don’t need to sleep,” Diana added with a twinkle in her eye. “Tomorrow is going to be a tough day of training. Make sure that you’re prepared.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! This fic is almost over (just two more chapters!) and I would love feedback if you have any. Here's the fun science pitches! If you have any of your own, let me know. I apologize for not being a biochemist, and for unintentionally shitting on PhD work–I'm only a biologist and med student. Honestly, the lab work I write sounds more like organic chemistry+bioengineering work, but I figured the lab must do just about everything since it's been around so long.


	9. Beware, bitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The threat against creatures comes to a climax in this chapter as they prepare for confrontation.

The attack was planned for 5 days after our arrival at Sept-Tours. I was skeptical that it would be enough time to prepare. My cousins TongTong and YiDing, who arrived the morning after me, shared similar concerns. Until we started lessons with Diana.  
  
She was _tough_. I didn’t know if it was rejuvenation spells or the result of a very active lifestyle, but she did not seem elderly at all. She was like the Vera Wang of witches. Only her silver hair and a few wrinkles gave away her age; she was still at the top of her game, fierce and practiced. I wondered how offensive training would differ from defensive, and it turned out they were pretty similar. Diana knew we didn’t need help with magic in general, just in how to think creatively, redirecting its uses. She pinpointed our deficiencies and showed us how to improve in the most efficient way, true to her teaching roots.  
  
The first exercise was just trying to land a blow on her. It was very difficult. She had an intuitive sense of the environment, elements, and threads of the world to defend herself. She seemed to predict what we were going to do and disappear before anyone could finish weaving a spell. It took a lot of regrouping and collaboration, all five of us brightborns working together, to strike her in flight at the end of the second day. She caught herself before she actually fell. She landed gracefully with a bright expression.  
  
“Good job everyone! Remember what you learned today: use the elements around you as much as possible, try to catch the opponent in a difficult situation, and work together! We can move onto another activity tomorrow.”  
  
She left us to rest. Marthe brought out a little picnic as we all caught our breath.  
  
“I’ve never seen mom use her powers like that before. I wonder why she never showed us what she was capable of,” Philip noted calmly.  
  
Rebecca was not as forgiving. “Yea, it’s wild that she’s been hiding all that power! She only taught us how to use magic as needed, where are these hardball lessons coming from!?”  
  
I chuckled. “I mean, she probably didn’t think you’d need to fight. I guess stories can’t do a person justice.”  
  
Rebecca huffed, but Philip agreed with me. “Mom’s always had a weird relationship with magic. Dad says it was way worse before we were born, but we could still tell she didn’t want to open up completely with us. It’s new to see her like this,” he observed.  
  
I exchanged looks with my cousins, remembering what we’d all heard about western weavers who lacked support and knowledge.  
  
“Well,” TongTong concluded, “It must’ve been tough learning to be a weaver alone, and now she’s powerful enough to not have a familiar. We have a lot to gain from her.”  
  
Everyone nodded before we switched to lighter conversation topics.  
\-----  
On the third day, Diana made us split up into teams and fight each other. We jokingly called it a rest day. As the pairings continually shuffled throughout the day, it took a lot of communication to build and rebuild team relations, and observe how problem areas shifted from side to side. But it was nothing compared to the most powerful witch of our age.  
  
Outside of training, most of our time was spent devising a plan. Baldwin was obviously at the head of this operation, but my cousins and I had to give suggestions and modifications based on our strengths. Baldwin didn’t know us well enough yet to place us properly. We all requested the same thing: make sure to plan the battle in a way where the only possible outcome is our victory.  
  
I must’ve been the last to convey that message, because Baldwin rolled his eyes and grumbled, “I know, I’ve been told. I’ve studied Sun-Tzu too.”  
  
I grinned. “Thanks, sire. I believe that; you’re actually a genius strategist.”  
  
He scoffed and waved me out of his study, but when I glanced back I saw a trace of something gentler in his expression. He could be callous, but he really cared about his family, and he wasn’t willing to come out of this with a loss. That’s why he worked so hard to make everything perfect.  
  
That was confirmed when Jack and I snuck around the castle one night, only to overhear him comforting Rebecca.  
  
“Your grasp on magic _is_ strong, Rebecca,” Baldwin assured her.  
  
“I’ve never been as good as Philip, and what if it doesn’t hold up in battle? We’re only fighting against mom. Who knows how many people we’ll take on at the headquarters?”  
  
“You already know I’ve put you in a position that uses your vampire abilities more than your weaver ones. You’re a better vampire than Philip,” Baldwin said in a forced lighthearted tone. “And I wouldn’t worry about the enemy so much. If you can take on Diana, you can definitely take on anyone at Malitia,” he finished with begrudging respect.  
  
As their conversation moved on to good biotech stock investments, Jack and I snuck off, but his words of confidence replayed in my head.  
\-----  
In the final two days at Sept-Tours, we took on both offense and defense, trying to catch Diana while she fought back. She warned us that she wasn’t going to hold back, and the result was jarring. I thought she was powerful before, but having her send fire at me caused an adrenaline rush that could not be described in words. It was impossible to anticipate and prepare for that type of feeling. I surprised myself when I managed to weave a spell that brought water from nearby trees to block the flames. After many more group meetings, and even a little help from Baldwin and Matthew, we succeeded in using Diana’s dislike for being upside-down (I wouldn’t even call it a weakness, it was just a quirk about her) to capture Diana with a netting spell that me and Rebecca cast together in the afternoon on the last day.  
  
She wasn’t even taken aback. She only beamed proudly down at us. After we freed her, she announced, “Good job! If you can capture me, I’m sure you’ll be able to take anything that comes your way. Now, there’s only one more thing to show you. Do you know about the tenth knot?”  
  
Rebecca and Philip shook their heads, but my cousins and I frowned in confusion. “Isn’t the tenth knot just a myth?” I asked.  
  
She nodded, gesturing for us to sit in a circle around her. “Many think it’s just a myth, because only a select few weavers can achieve it. Now, if you remember the cords in your hands”–she demonstrated the movement with her own hands– “the tenth knot is simply a circle. The catch is that it must stay in place by itself. Most weavers cannot make it stay.”  
  
We all copied her demonstration. She made it look so easy, and I understood what I was supposed to do. I saw my cords and fingers come together into a circle, but it fell apart just as quickly. It was a little frustrating. I had to accept that I just was not one of those chosen weavers. In the end, the only person’s circle who stayed was Philip’s.  
  
Diana nodded approvingly. “No worries if you cannot make it. You’ve already been through some intense training and you’re all powerful witches. Yes, Rebecca, including you,” she directed pointedly at Rebecca’s dejected look. “My teacher, Goody Alsop, couldn’t make the tenth knot either and she was far more powerful than any witch today. But now I do need to tell Philip something specific about this knot.”  
  
We headed back up into the house, giving them some time alone, wondering if we should be concerned about what making that tenth knot meant.  
\-----  
The night before the invasion, Jack went off to hunt with the rest of his family, leaving me behind. The blood from dinner was more than enough for me, and I’d had such little downtime that I just wanted to rest. Diana found me in the kitchen with Marthe, and waved me over to the living room with her and Ysabeau, away from an awkward conversation about my birth control.  
  
“She did the same thing when I first married Matthew,” Diana assured me. Ysabeau snorted delicately, covering a laugh. “So, Fei,” Diana continued, looking very reminiscent of a professor, “how are you feeling about tomorrow?”  
  
I sighed. “Honestly, I’m a little nervous. It’s my first time fighting, but you’ve taught us so much. I’m doing things with my power that I’d never even thought of before.”  
  
Diana smiled. “Good, that was the goal! You’re very strong and you have a good grasp of magic, even though you’re more vampire-like, like Rebecca. How old are you?”  
  
“Technically I’m 87.”  
  
“That’s technically older than me!”  
  
I laughed a little. “Yes, but it certainly doesn’t feel that way.”  
  
Diana got a distance look in her eye. “Mmmm… time and age is a funny thing. Jack is technically far older than me, older than Marcus, but he’s still our baby. I was younger than Rebecca and Philip are now when the New Age War happened, but I still feel so terrible sending my children into battle.”  
  
I hummed in agreement. “It’s all very relative, I suppose. Jack may be very old, but he only started living when he rejoined you. That’s what he always says.”  
  
Diana smiled. “My sweet boy, forever my first child. I’m glad I got to meet you, Fei. I’m glad I get to see Jack grow up a bit, too.”  
  
Ysabeau added, “ _Finally_ growing up. Jack was always our troublemaker. Fei, let me tell you the story of how he ruined my favorite tapestry…”  
\-----  
We left early the next morning. The final crew was me, Jack, YiDing, TongTong, Rebecca, Philip, Matthew and Baldwin. The location of headquarters was about 4 hours away by car. Diana kissed us all goodbye and reminded us to be safe.  
  
“We’ll be back before you wake up tomorrow,” Matthew promised tenderly. We waved goodbye to her until we couldn’t see the driveway anymore.  
  
Matthew and Baldwin reminded us of the plan and our positions. When they weren’t lecturing, I tried to distract Jack with innocuous conversation, the funny and embarrassing stories Ysabeau had told me the night before, from the traveling that doubly stressed him out.  
  
We arrived at the site and scanned the area, waiting until dusk to begin. It looked like an incredibly normal office building, but the threads of the world crossed and tangled in a mess I’ve never seen before. YiDing and I were responsible for getting past external security. It was difficult to pick and pull the right threads together, but there was no actual magic here. It was so strange–like they knew how the threads worked, without being witches themselves. We had to be very careful tracing where the threads lead back, to weave a spell that opened an underground entrance. I could tell Baldwin was getting restless, wanting the process to go faster, but we were given this job because of our meticulous nature. Once an opening formed, leading to underground tunnels, everyone else started to rush in. Matthew was supposed to stand guard outside, but one look at Jack’s face and we knew that plan had to change. These tunnels were far too similar to his old abuser’s.  
  
“Jack, stand guard, Matthew, move in with us,” Baldwin barked.  
  
I kissed him goodbye and good luck before heading down myself.  
  
Almost immediately, an automated machine sensed our movements and shot darts in our direction. Baldwin and Rebecca were at the front and pushed us back out of their range. This set off another machine behind us, which Matthew and I reflexively pushed the rest away from in turn. Matthew took one sniff at a fallen dart and nodded to confirm what we expected; these were filled with the same poison that hurt Leonard. Weaponized to keep creatures out as they worked to take all creatures down. We all had injectors of the counterdrug, but this was clearly going to be a problem. These machines lined the halls, and we only had so many vials from Miriam and Chris. We couldn’t afford for a vampire to be left helpless, or any brightborn to die.  
  
YiDing and Philip carefully pulled apart threads again as we waited in the narrow safe space. It took a long time, but they were finally able to find the right strings to weave a protective wall around us. As we headed down the tunnel, the darts deflected. But the danger wasn’t gone. Using magic to protect us was more complicated and would take more time than usual here; moments that would leave us vulnerable.  
  
Baldwin had already created a map of this tunnel system. It was convoluted and incompleted, but he thought he had found the correct way into the main offices. He led us to a deadend. This was a trend we had noticed back in December, thrown in our faces. These humans _knew_ creatures. They knew our weaknesses and how we used our strengths and were very good at leading us astray. It would be flattering if it wasn’t so sinister.  
  
Baldwin let out an annoyed sigh. “Rebecca, Fei, Philip, head down that branch. Matthew, YiDing, TongTong and I will go the other way. Get to office 759. At least I’m sure about that number.”  
  
We split up as directed, wrapped in separate protective bubbles.  
  
It felt like we were down in the darkness for hours, hitting deadends and confusing forks. I made us pause so I could leave a trail behind us, something that normally would’ve been an easy spell if these threads weren’t so tangled. We were too tense to speak, forging on in silence until by some miracle, we ended up in a parking garage. With an open-access elevator into the office building.  
  
After everything underground, it was a little _too_ easy now. We sent a tiny spark back into the tunnel, hoping that somehow the others would find it.  
  
We pressed the button for level 7. I felt incredibly out of place as the elevator music jingled quietly in the background. There were similar machines in the elevator and the hallway that opened, but nothing shot at us. We let down our shield to save energy. The hallway was empty, and the sky was dark. We took a deep breath, then Rebecca kicked down the door to room 759.  
  
An utterly normal looking man sat behind his desk, looking up at us in shock. He was wearing a casual Friday outfit, with a lab coat, and dark eye bags under his glasses. Working overtime as the boss. How admirable. I would’ve almost thought we had the wrong room, the wrong person, until I saw the computer screen to his left. It had gruesome images, labelling the differences in bone and blood structure between humans and vampires.  
  
“Wha-” Philip didn’t give him a chance to finish his question, as he wove a tenth knot to immobilize Edwin Mark. Rebecca looked over at Philip with an exasperated expression. “Stop being so noble,” she muttered, before going over and punching Mark in the face so hard he knocked out cold.  
  
“Rebecca…” Philip shook his head, but I started laughing so hard I had to grab the door handle for support.  
  
“Beware bitch, the blood of the lion and the wolf is us,” Rebecca spat at this now unconscious man, pointing at herself and her brother. Philip just sighed, “You’re so dramatic.”  
  
Less than a minute later, Baldwin, YiDing and TongTong rushed in.  
  
“What happened?” Baldwin demanded.  
  
I still hadn’t caught my breath, and my cousins looked at me like I was the weirdest person ever. After Philip finished a calm and concise explanation, Baldwin was joining me on the floor.  
  
“Rebecca… that’s my niece! Good girl, good work,” he wheezed between laughs. YiDing and TongTong put a restrictive spell on Mark, and a moment later Matthew hobbled in. He looked more annoyed than anything else. “I’m always the sacrifice,” he complained. “Oh, the machines don’t seem to shoot, except they’re temperature-triggered. Obviously only I get shot, not Baldwin. Ugh.” He rubbed his thigh, where I assumed they had injected the counter-drug. “Let me see that computer, and then I want to know what happened and why Baldwin is on the floor,” he commanded.  
  
Matthew wiped all the files from the computer, including all back-ups. Authorities were called and Edwin Mark was taken into custody. Jack was waiting for us outside. I jumped into his arms, feeling waves of relief that this fight was over, and that the threat against creatures was going to get resolved.  
  
We got back to Sept-Tours at dawn, just as Matthew promised. Marthe made us tea or poured us wine, keeping us comfortable until Diana woke up. Marcus and the Knights were already working with politicians and law enforcement to better protect and consider creatures’ rights. Phoebe had already released a very sympathetic statement on our mission. I offered to connect her to media channels abroad, which made Baldwin happy to see me willingly take on the part of “de Clermont liaison”. Matthew could happily go back into retirement with Diana. The worst was over. Me and Jack rested for the rest of our time before going back to school. We wouldn’t have to worry once we got back to school.  
  
(And if his room was conveniently soundproof, that was no one else’s business but our’s.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! So the prophecy from the books (that was not mentioned much, but more in the TV show), i took to mean just that the existence of brightborns "destroys" the children of night in the sense that vampires will evolve into brightborns and cease to exist. So, this chapter is not at all to add meaning to this prophecy, it's more implying that Rebecca and Philip might have grown up knowing about it and it kind of turned into an inside family-joke for them. If you have any other thoughts on this, please let me know! I would also love to hear feedback and constructive criticism–writing battles is very new to me.  
> Here's to Diana being extremely powerful!


	10. Happily

I didn’t know where I was going. My suitemates had blindfolded me and brought me out of our building to some unknown spot on campus. Adrianna held my hands to stop any spells that might help me see, while Yuanjing and Amy cackled at my stream of questions without answering any. All I had were the murmurs and giggles I heard around me. None were useful, just a lot of “what’s happening over there?”  
  
The cloth cover came off in a flash, leaving me dazzled by the sunlight. When my eyes adjusted, I saw Jack on the St. Hugh green with his lost boys, holding up a huge poster. It read: _WILL YOU GO TO COMMEMORATION BALL WITH ME?_  
  
I felt my face turn red from my cheeks to my hairline. I would’ve been livid from embarrassment if it weren’t for Jack’s smile; it was so genuine and goofy. I couldn’t hold this antic against him. Instead, I just laughed at the ridiculousness.  
  
“What is this? We aren’t in the States!” I wheezed out.  
  
“Rebecca and Philip’s idea, they said it’s a huge thing for promenades there!”  
  
“For high schoolers, I think.”  
  
“That’s not the point!” Jack waved dismissively. “Will you go to the dance with me?” His face shone with such excitement and love, I couldn’t help softening.  
  
“Yes, of course,” I answered. Jack whooped and drew me into his arms. “But,”–I poked his chest lightly, “please don’t ever do this again.”  
  
Jack leaned down to kiss me, effectively distracting me from the fact that he ignored my request. I didn’t mind.  
  
I pulled back suddenly when I heard popping sounds. I quickly calmed when I saw confetti falling from the sky, looking around at our friends grinning shamelessly at the spectacle. Now this was just too much.  
  
“Ok, ok, that’s enough! This is so embarrassing,” I complained. Everyone just ribbed me, and deep down, I was really happy. I felt very lucky to have carefree moments like this, together with them all.  
\-----  
It took me over a month to find the red gown I was wearing now. It took Adrianna even longer to find her gorgeous green number. My suitemates and I were dressed up to the nines, taking the whole day to help each other prepare. Hair, makeup, nails, dresses, accessories, _everything_. All our dates had been explicitly banned from anywhere near our dorms, so we could now have a grand reveal on college walk.  
  
We met our dates at the main gate. They all gave us satisfactorily surprised and revering reactions. Jack broke away from small talk to catch my eye, his face splitting into the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. I knew my own face probably mirrored his.  
  
“You look beautiful!” he exclaimed, twirling me around me to take in my whole ensemble.  
  
“Mmmmm, and you look very handsome,” I replied, smoothing my hands over the lapels of his tux. _Very handsome_ was an understatement. His tux fit perfectly over his broad shoulders, and somehow really accented his tapered waist. He was a little bit taller than before, and you could just tell that he was packing lean, powerful muscles under his formalwear, which contrasted so attractively with his delicate, elegant hands that almost made me wonder if we needed to go to this dance, or if we should take care of something else first...  
  
My considerations must’ve shown on my face, or in my heartbeat, because Jack’s eyes darkened. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Fei, the night’s just started,” he murmured in my ear. The tension broke when I pouted and Jack chortled. He gave me a consolatory kiss on the forehead before dragging me to join the others in photos.  
  
Phototime was no joke. We got every possible combination of people, going halfway across campus for the best background spots, switching from natural to sultry to silly poses. We even got passersby to take photos of us all together. After every group of shots, we would look over the results fondly.  
  
“What is going on with your face there, Jack?”  
  
“Adrianna, that dress really brings out your eyes!”  
  
“Amy you look so angry there.” “Yeah because the tree branch behind me kept accosting me.”  
  
“Gross, no more pics of Fei and Jack kissing. Looks like Kiki’s delivery service…”  
  
“I don’t love how our colors look… I think we should’ve ordered ourselves a different way.” “Alright, we’ve got to do it over again, Yuanjing’s artistic eye has spoken!”  
  
And so we did. We spent over an hour taking photos, until we were all sick of it and headed over to the actual event.  
  
The ordinary lawn was decorated flawlessly for the occasion. I almost couldn’t recognize it as a part of campus. It was manicured neatly, with a tent overhead and satin ribbons everywhere to tie it all together.  
  
I drank a few champagnes and felt myself get a little lightheaded. I snuck away with Jack so he could drink some of my intoxicated blood and join in on the fun. We came back giggling uncontrollably. Amy gave me an amused look, but I only stuck my tongue out in response. Her human date was very confused about how Jack was drunk, until I saw Amy whisper the explanation in his ear. He blushed a deep red, but I didn’t have the time to act ashamed tonight. We’re mates, we’re of legal drinking age, it’s whatever!  
  
We spent the night messing around, dancing the night away with my friends without a care in the world. I was glad I tainted Jack’s “pure” classical musician taste, so he knew at least a few of the pop songs the DJ played. His time to shine came later in the night, when slow dances came on.  
  
After the sun set, candles were lit and arranged beautifully. The atmosphere noticeably calmed. I rested my head on Jack’s shoulder as we swayed to a larghetto tempo. One of his hands held mine gently, while the other wrapped itself around my waist.  
  
“You may know all the pop songs, but I know Taylor Swift and Borodin,” Jack teased.  
  
“Oh! That’s his name. I was wondering,” I responded. “You know I don’t judge you for your music taste, but I’m pretty sure it’s a crime to be English and not know the Spice Girls,” I added.  
  
“I still have no idea who they are.”  
  
“Remind me to tell you about them later. Oh look” –I changed the topic suddenly– “Adrianna’s sneaking off with Mike,” I whispered, watching them from behind Jack’s body. They looked so suspicious.  
  
“He’s probably going to ask her out officially,” Jack guessed.  
  
“Finally. She’s been pining over him forever.”  
  
“Ten pounds they’re leaving early so they can be in your dorm alone.”  
  
I lightly hit his shoulder. “Gross.”  
  
He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Hey, you know it’s probably true.”  
  
I groaned, unable to disagree. I hoped their scents wouldn’t be everywhere, a trail of guilty evidence I would have to pretend not to notice. As my thoughts drifted, Jack nudged me gently.  
  
“Hey, I’ve been thinking. I think we should make it official too.”  
  
“If you’re suggesting we’re not official yet, I don't know how to break this to you. We’re mated, it doesn’t get anymore official than that,” I deadpanned.  
  
Jack barked out a laugh. “No, I meant like having an official _wedding_.”  
  
I looked up at him, shocked. “Like a proper _human_ kind of wedding?”  
  
“Without the legal aspect, yes. We could do one for each of our families. I’m sure they’d plan very different ceremonies… but it’d be nice.”  
  
“Oh. Oh, like a church and a palace celebration. Oh, actually that sounds nice. My mind automatically went to the legal side and I was confused but… that sounds nice.” The corners of my mouth slowly lifted as I considered what it’d be like.  
  
“No, the legal, human realm of marriage is terrible. I definitely don’t care for that,” Jack clarified.  
  
“Good, because technically I don’t even exist legally. I don’t know how you’d marry a species that doesn’t exist.”  
  
“It’s unbelievable. The whole point of dad’s paper was that all creatures are the same species, and the first thing humans do is bar inter _species_ relations. Idiotic that they’re further behind than the Congregation, even.”  
  
“Well, I’m sure Marcus is working hard, working with humans to fix that. There’s still a long fight ahead to equality,” I noted solemnly.  
  
Jack nodded. “It’ll be worth it. For the future, for Rebecca and Philip and you.”  
  
“But in the meantime, I don’t think you could handle my family during event preparation.”  
  
Jack chuckled. “Your family was the first to make me feel like there was nothing wrong with me. You were the first to really take all my different pieces and show me they could all coexist. I don’t care if they’re worse than Marthe during Christmas, it’d be worth it.”  
  
“Would Marthe be better or worse for the de Clermont half of the wedding?”  
  
“Oh worse, so much worse. You should’ve seen her and Ysabeau at Rebecca and Philip’s christening. Absolute beasts with the preparations.”  
  
“I can definitely see that,” I laughed. “Well, there are very few places where I feel entirely relaxed. Amazingly, your home in France became one of them after just a week. You’ve done something so rare, helping me grow and expand who I am, without ever making me uncomfortable. It’d be worth accommodating Marthe and Ysabeau’s demands.”  
  
Jack beamed at me. “So we’ll do it?” I only nodded in agreement. He continued, “My dad always used to say his life gained a beginning, middle, and end when he met mum. I always say my life began when I rejoined them. But now with you, I fully understand what dad meant. I can see it. Us growing older together, my sense of time molding to your’s, starting and raising a family… all of it.”  
  
“An official end to our very long childhoods. Coming of age with the new world. You’ll have to wait until I graduate, though. I won’t be that girl still in college who got married.”  
  
“Deal.”  
  
“And I’m still upset you’re graduating. Who will play for me now?”  
  
“You’re so dramatic, Fei, I already told you I’ll only be down in London. I’m keeping my apartment and I’ll still be a file messenger between Miriam and Matthew. You’re going to see me plenty.”  
  
“But St. Hugh’s will be abandoned!!”  
  
And so we danced away the rest of the evening, knowing we fought for the peace we experienced. We fought and we won. Of all the things Jack had gone through, it opened up a future for us both. In a sort of poetic justice, my love, a child of the night, would be blessed with a brightborn future that made us all stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew that's the end!! Thank you so much if you've read all the way through! I would love feedback or comments. This has been a very fun project for me, and I welcome requests for what I should write next. Here's to a happy ending for Jack!  
> Disclaimer, I do NOT go to Oxford, and honestly could not completely figure out how Commemoration ball works... I apologize for any inaccuracies.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I always appreciate feedback, comments and constructive criticism, especially on this piece as it continues developing. This is my NaNoWriMo camp project. It'll be 6-8 chapters and done by the end of July.  
> Also, here are links to the cello songs I mentioned, if you want to give them a listen!
> 
> youtube.com/watch?v=43zGBuTBOPU&list=WL
> 
> youtube.com/watch?v=d44DbNQ81cM
> 
> youtube.com/watch?v=1prweT95Mo0


End file.
